"I want to smell KS." The first and second games in Daegu were shadows...Games 3 and 4 in Jamsil are 'Kang Minho Series'. Why?
Oct 17, 2024
|
|
Park Byung-ho's (38) testimony to Kang Min-ho (39), the eldest among Samsung Lions fielders.
"You've said that a lot since the end of the season. I think that's why Minho prepared a lot more."
Kang Min-ho, whom I met before the series, said this.
"People around me are talking a lot about the Korean series, but I think the most important thing is to win the playoffs, and I'm thinking about the Korean series after that. First of all, the focus is on the playoffs."
'You're giving a theoretical answer?'
"(laughs) It's real. People around me talked about the Korean series so much that I've already become a person who went up to the Korean series. So now, I want to think about it after winning the playoffs first."
|
2024 is a golden opportunity to end ridicule. It's just one step ahead.
I'm really desperate.
Kang Min-ho is hiding himself thoroughly. Only hard work that does not stand out, and the role of shadow is volunteering.
I rarely talk about hitting. The top priority is to keep the pitcher stable and keep the home ground, such as pitcher lead and stolen base blocking.
|
"It's young blood. You have to play young blood baseball. I don't think it's a baseball that's trying to watch more of the ball. I told the hero to go out and swing like you without thinking about each ball. I think that's right. I think we need to set the atmosphere well on the bench so that young players can do well."
It was actually like that. The two players who raised their voices the most in the dugout instead of Captain Koo Ja-wook, who was in poor condition due to dizziness in the first game. It was Kang Min-ho and Park Byung-ho. Koo Ja-wook also said in an interview, `Even young players, centered on Byung-ho and Min-ho, encouraged them in the dugout. Thank you."
|
|
Kang Min-ho thoroughly puts his colleagues in front of him and hides behind him. I was curious about what was going on inside. So I asked more persistently.
'The strength of Samsung baseball is young blood, but isn't it the harmony of old and new with veteran players?'
"I think Byung-ho and newcomers will lead well because he's good in the fall."
|
"I think I need to lead the pitcher better on the defense side. Since there are many players who are good at offensive parts, I'm trying to focus on the defense because I'm the oldest and I have to lead the young pitchers. The batting isn't too good or bad, but I'm trying to take a lot of thought offensively, and first of all, I'm trying to pay more attention to the defense because I have to run the pitcher to win the game."
Although it was not highlighted in the first and second games, catcher Kang Min-ho actually played a huge role.
Leading Reyes, Won Tae-in, he minimized the number of runs at Lions Park 'Home Run Factory'. While Kang Min-ho was wearing a mask, he only scored two earned runs in 17 innings. This is a surprising number considering the park factor in the LG batting line, which has been raising his batting sense for a long time. At the center of the goal minimization was Kang Min-ho's lead that caught him off guard.
Kim Yoon-soo, who made a surprise appearance as an autumn baseball `Austin assassin' by dealing with LG's best slugger Austin twice in a row during the crisis, also said in an interview that `I threw only at Minho's meet.' Kang Min-ho, who grasped the strong enough ball control, opened the zone wide so as not to have any control anxiety, turning Austin into a bold and fast game. It was a scene where Kang Min-ho, who is still considered the best catcher of the time along with Yang Eui-ji of Doosan, was properly revealed.
|
For LG, which is on the verge of a cliff, it returns to its widest Jamsil home and seeks to rebound with an active operational baseball based on its biggest strength, mobility. Kang Min-ho, the master of the house, is at the forefront of stopping this.
Both Hwang Dong-jae and Rye Yes, who are already starting in Game 3 and 4, are tall right-handed pitchers over 1m90, which has the disadvantage of not fast motion. In particular, Kang Min-ho is also responsible for calmly leading rookie Hwang Dong-jae, who is new to fall baseball, in a clutch situation.
"I don't think young pitchers throw long innings when they come up, but I'm saying that it would be good to cut each inning and block each and every three innings." Then there are the middle pitchers."
|
"I saw LG's double steal during the semi-playoff. "(Jang)Seong-Woo thinks he has a bad shoulder, so he steals a lot, but I think he won't be able to play easily if he plays with us, and we're fully prepared."
Kang Min-ho took the heavy responsibility of blocking injury of Jamsil Park Factor and fielders Koo Ja-wook from becoming an inflection point.
Jamsil Series, which is his biggest wish and must be overcome in order for the team to advance to the Korean Series. The length of the series is on Kang Min-ho's shoulders.
hschung@sportschosun.com
