I really clenched my teeth What if you get hurt? The truth in headfirst sliding
Jun 19, 2025
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KIA Tigers' Park Chan-ho produced a scene that would make manager Lee Bum-ho's heart throb in the match against KT Wiz in Gwangju on the 18th. Park Chan-ho, who was the leadoff hitter in the bottom of the seventh inning when the score was 3-3, hit a fastball by KT's changed pitcher Jeon Yong-ju. The ball rolled slowly to the left of the pitcher, and Park Chan-ho sprinted to first base before headfirst sliding. There were even clubs that blocked first base headfirst sliding with fines due to the high risk of injury, and Park Chan-ho was actually injured. Nevertheless, it was inevitable that the body reacted first.
As a result, Park Chan-ho's fighting spirit worked. He stole second base when Oh Sun-woo struck out swinging at first base with no outs, and when Choi Hyung-woo grounded out, he went up to three pitches. KT replaced the pitcher with Won Sang-hyun as it was a one-point fight, and Wisdom and Kim Tae-gun drew a series of walks, leading to a bases-loaded walk with two outs. And pinch hitter Lee Chang-jin hit a timely two-run hit to the left, leading KIA to a 5-3 come-from-behind victory and four consecutive wins.
Park Chan-ho took over the temporary captain's armband as captain Na Sung-bum and interim captain Kim Sun-bin left one after another due to injuries. Perhaps that's why he doesn't take care of himself when he sees a chance to win.
Since it is a preliminary FA, health is an asset, but it is relentless. Park Chan-ho was a shortstop who hit .300 for two consecutive years in 2023 and last year, and last year won the Golden Glove in shortstop for the first time in his life. Of course, he was considered an FA big fish during his heyday of the 30% shortstop season, and KIA increased its compensation by raising its annual salary to 450 million won this year to defend against transfer to other teams.
Regarding Park's attempt at headfirst sliding, Park said, `I don't know. I thought it would be a waste if I die, and it would be so unfair. The leadoff hitter hit the first pitch like that, but isn't it a waste if he dies. That's why I think I really clenched my teeth."
In 61 games this season, Park had a batting average of 0.276 (64 hits in 232 times at bat), three homers, 21 RBIs and an OPS of 0.723. Although his batting average has fallen from the last two seasons, he has consistently played as the first hitter even in shortstop sleep, which is heavily burdened with defense. While second baseman Kim Sun-bin and third baseman Kim Do-young left at the same time, taking the center of the infield became more important, KIA fortunately held out well so far. Park Chan-ho hit 0.311 (19 hits in 61 at-bats) in June, gradually regaining his pace.
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It was also necessary to adapt anew to have no teammates to rely on when defending and to have teammates rely on themselves. The second and third basemen have no choice but to change in each game, so it was also difficult to work together every time.
Park Chan-ho said, `In fact, there were so many things to pay attention to every time the players next to him changed. In fact, if Kim Sun-bin (left) and Kim Do-young (right) were present, I kept saying things that I didn't have to say. I also cared about things that I didn't have to care about. But don't the players do really well now. So on the other hand, I feel proud. Still, I want to compliment him that he held out without getting hurt and kept the center of the infield like this."
As Park Chan-ho comes back to life, KIA is also coming back to life. KIA succeeded in advancing to the fifth round by ranking first with 10 wins and 5 losses in June. He tied for fifth with KT with 36 wins, 33 losses and 1 draw in the season. It has narrowed the gap to 1.5 games with the fourth-place Samsung Lions and 2 games with the third-place Lotte Giants, looking further up.
Park Chan-ho said, `I'm originally a second-half player. It's getting hotter now,' he quipped, vowing to further contribute to the team now.
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This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
