At a game against Lotte in Gwangju on March 26, Kia's first batter, Park Chan-ho (29), picked out three consecutive balls against Lotte starter Charlie Barnes in the bottom of the fifth inning with no outs and runners on first base when the game was 0-0. Since then, I have only watched for two consecutive balls. In particular, Park did not hit the ball, although his pitch umpire came into the middle for the fifth pitch in the 3B-1S ball count. He then singled out the sixth ball and walked to get on base. 토토사이트
"I would have hit it if I were a player, but I feel like I have to set a concept according to the situation and deal with it at bat. I can't get a hit every time, so I have to aim to get on base in the end," Park Chan-ho said.
KIA's batting lineup started completely differently from what it had planned before the season. Key batter Na Sung-bum was injured just before the opening game. KIA started leaving the lineup that had been prepared until the exhibition game, which was key to placing fast batters Park Chan-ho, Choi Won-joon and Kim Do-young at No. 1 to No. 3, and center batters Na Sung-bum, Socrates and Choi Hyung-woo at No. 4 to No. 6.
The faces of the main players have not changed much, but their batting order has all changed. Among them, Park Chan-ho is the only one who remains in his position. He started the season as the No. 1 hitter this season as he had prepared.
He is carrying out his plan. It is a perfect start. Since the opening of the season, KIA has been running well with five wins and one loss, and Park Chan-ho is at the forefront of the team. In six games, Park has a batting average of 0.375 with an on-base percentage of 0.423. Among the first batters in the 10 teams, Park has the highest on-base percentage, following KT Bae Jung-dae (0.474) and Hanwha Moon Hyun-bin (0.429).
"I only think about the on-base percentage this year," Park said. "That's the way I can live."
When he was a rookie, Park was highly evaluated for his stable infield defense, which he was second to none. Park, who didn't want to be criticized as "half," was greedy for his offense. In his early career, he also wanted to hit long balls, and since he started his career as a starting member, he has focused on making hits.
Park Chan-ho, who had been the top stealer twice (2019 and 2022) but played baseball focusing on his offense capability, has improved little by little. After posting a batting average of 0.272 in 2022, he finally hit .300 (0.301) for the first time since his debut last year.
This year, the team adjusted its goal to reach base on base. The team is determined to meet expectations given to it as the first batter. Lee Bum-ho, Kia's manager, was also quietly informed of this commitment. "If I had a strong desire to get a hit in the past, now I think I am thinking about getting on base. I like how he changes (thinking) to help his team," Lee said.
Park, who said he wanted to perform better than last year every year and improve even a little, had the best performance since his debut last season, which seems to have been a huge foundation for him. "I don't have a good pitching style. I got confidence from watching the ball, however, as I made good performances last year. I think I can do enough. Still, I think long-distance shots can be a big weapon for teaching batters. But if I try to hit more balls and balls that can swing strongly, I think I will get more long hits and more hits," Park said.
Park Chan-ho, who moved back and forth between No. 9 and the table setter, puts great importance on the role of a fixed No. 1 hitter. "I started as No. 1 hitter, but if I lose pace, I will naturally go down to No. 9, but I still want to reduce the frequency of staying at No. 9 this year. I want to bat more often," he said.
Park Chan-ho, who had his first batting average of .300 last year, posted an on-base percentage of 0.356. His on-base percentage has been improving year after year, and last year was the best since his debut, but it was not absolutely a good record. "Last year, it was difficult to say that I had a good on-base percentage compared to my batting average. My goal is to have a base percentage in the late 300,000 mark this year. I don't want to steal bases, but I think I should do 30 as I was doing," Park said. "If we are a team that seeks to win the championship, we should also have more ambition as a leadoff player. I think we should do that much."