The only flaw that the leading KIA Tigers has is its error. It has 31 as of Tuesday, ranking first in the league in number. It also committed six more errors than the runner-up SSG Landers with 25 errors. Considering that the SSG played two more games than the Kia Tigers, the actual gap between the two teams is wider.
Third baseman Kim Do-young has six and second baseman Kim Sun-bin has five. Park Min has three and Park Chan-ho has two. Quite a few errors have been accumulated in the infield, where the most occurrences occur. Still, KIA has so good pitching and hitting that it can offset the damage caused by errors. Making a decisive error usually weakens the momentum, but KIA does not.
Instead, individuals seem to have a lot of regrets about their defense and feel sorry for their teammates. Immediately after the game against the Gwangju NC Dinos on Tuesday, Lee Woo-sung (31) said, “I want to hide when Wall Crow (the starting pitcher) comes out.”
Lee is the first player to switch to first base. He moves back and forth between a first baseman and a right fielder even during a game. He is still unfamiliar with first base position. He explained that Lee told Lee, who is not used to first base yet, and second baseman Kim Sun-bin keeps telling him what he has to do while defending.
Lee Woo-sung said, “Sunbin keeps telling me because he’s afraid I might forget it. In this case, you have to move like this. In this case, you have to move like that.” I am grateful for Kim Sun-bin. “I don’t think I can judge a situation well yet. Once I get used to the first base defense, I think I can move on my own.”
This happened, too. On Monday, when no game was held this season, KIA had time for dialogue with its infielders by making a meal table. Rumor has it that defensive coach Park Ki-nam also joined the table and had conversations with each other. It was a meaningful occasion for KIA infielders.
Lee Woo-sung said, “Players talked about this. Although they have feelings of regret, let’s play baseball with bright faces. We had healthy meals together.” Even coach Park Ki-nam encouraged the players at the event, saying, “See you after the season. At the end of the season, indicators (such as mistakes) are already set.” He encouraged them not to make many errors in the future, as he had to make many mistakes.
Lee pledged to step aside from feeling sorry for each other and play defense with a bright and positive mindset. However, Lee never thought that it was okay even if his mistakes were covered by his team’s victory. “I looked back on why I made mistakes, and it is important that I do not make mistakes in the future,” he said.
BY: 토토사이트
