The first candidate to be nominated... Park Joo-hong, "Ohtani, I studied the side."
The first candidate to be nominated... Park Joo-hong, "Ohtani, I studied the side."
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Kiwoom Heroes outfielder Park Joo-hong (24) hit a three-run home run over the right-center fence in the bottom of the second inning against the Gocheok NC Dinos on the 5th by targeting pitcher Riley Thompson's 152km/h four-seam fastball (straight throw). It was his first home run in 121 games in the first division since his debut in 2020.
Park Joo-hong joined Kiwoom after receiving the first nomination in 2020. In other words, he was one of the top three prospects of the year in the Seoul area with a wide pool of players.
Park, however, failed to display potential until last season. He only played in 13 games in the first division in 2020, and played mostly in the second division for the next four seasons (2021-2024). He performed well in the Futures (second division) league, but his bat was frozen whenever he performed in the first division.
This season is different. He hit his first home run in an official first-team match at an exhibition game against the Lotte Giants on April 17, and has been playing as a starting outfielder since then. As of Wednesday, he had a batting average of 0.250 (14 hits in 56 at-bats) with two homers and eight RBIs.
Park Joo-hong's at-bat is also drawing attention for other reasons. His top position (the position of his two hands holding the bat), stance and swing posture are very similar to those of Major League Baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani (Los Angeles Dodgers). Social media contents comparing batting scenes of the two players also drew much attention.
Park originally hit the ball by playing leg kick. However, as the first team pitchers struggled to target the ball in a more mobile position, the team made changes by stamping Lee Dong-bal (lefty right foot) on the ground to adjust the timing and turn the bat last year. In the process, he studied Ohtani's batting posture and adjusted it to his own. 안전놀이터
"Since I threw away the leg kick, I needed a swing that could boost my strength. Hip hinge (folding the hip joint like a hinge) is also important and the core strength must be strong. In that sense, I thought Otani's batting was ideal." Park said, "As he was too poor as long as he joined the first team, he had to make drastic changes. I studied not only Otani's game broadcast but also the video that he took during training."
Although he could not follow the hitting mechanism, he said he tried to make the timing and overall feeling of moving his body as similar as possible. There are many backgrounds for Park Joo-hong's leap this season. The batting posture he changed here also had a big impact.
"I am Park Chu-hong, who endured the difficult life in the second division for five years without giving up. I think I gained confidence as I got better results this year. If I adapt well as I do now, I will be able to make this season a turning point in my baseball career," Kiwoom manager Hong Won-ki said.
"I think it's my first time to set a record like a baseball player," Park said. "I was able to control my anxiety as I saw my first home run in the (first team) exhibition game. I feel like I can finally play my baseball."
It is true that Park Joo-hong's batting sense has cooled since the three consecutive games in China last week. Kiwoom manager Hong Won-ki also sent a message, excluding him from the starting lineup. Attention is focusing on whether Park Joo-hong will overcome the crisis and fly this year.