The second coming of Park Kyung-wan. LG catcher Park Dong-won unleashed a home run blast to lead his team to a commanding lead in the standings.

On the 25th, LG defeated SSG 8 to 3 in the ‘2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League’ at SSG Landers Field in Incheon. The team avenged the previous day’s loss with a sweep of the three-game series.

With 28 wins, 15 losses and one tie, LG moved from joint first place to sole possession of first place in one day. SSG, who moved into second place with one game in hand, fell to 27 wins, 16 losses and one draw, trailing third-placed Lotte (24 wins, 15 losses) by one game after their 11-1 thrashing of NC earlier in the day.메이저사이트

Park Won-dong’s bat was a force to be reckoned with. With two outs and runners on first and second in the top of the first inning, Park smacked SSG right-hander Song Young-jin with his 11th home run of the season, a three-run shot to left-centre field. LG scored five runs in the top of the first on an RBI single by Oh Ji-hwan and a sacrifice fly by Moon Bo-kyung. LG increased its lead to 6-0 in the second inning with a Moon Sung-joo RBI single.

SSG, who led the team in home runs, fought back. In the bottom of the second inning, Han Yoo-seom hit a curveball from starter Casey Kelly for a two-run home run with a distance of 130 metres. SSG added another run when Choi Ji-hoon grounded into a double play with runners at first and second on a throwing error by LG second baseman Shin Min-jae.

However, LG drove in a run as Park Dong-won’s bat came alive again. In the top of the eighth inning with a 6-3 lead, Park came to the plate and pulled a one-run arch over the left field fence from Moon Seung-won. It was his 12th home run of the season and gave his team the lead for good. Hong Chang-ki followed with a single to put the game out of reach.

On the day, Park went 3-for-4 with a home run, four RBIs and two runs scored as the catcher and No. 7 hitter. He was perfect at the plate in support of starter Kelly’s six innings of three-run (two earned) ball. Kelly picked up his fifth win of the season (2-2).

Park took sole possession of first place in the category with his 12th home run. He is three behind Jose Rojas (Doosan) and Roh Si-hwan (Hanwha), who are tied for second (nine).

Park, who made his first-team debut with Kiwoom’s predecessor Nexen in 2010, has hit double-digit home runs eight times so far this season, including 22 in 2021 and 18 last year. He has never hit a triple, with a career-high 2.9 ppg in 2019, but has drawn attention as a catcher with a one-hit wonder.

Park Dong-won, who signed a four-year, 6.5 billion won deal with LG, has been flying high under current LG manager Eunsa Yeom Kyung-yeop, a former Nexen player. In 43 games, he is batting .288 with 12 home runs (1st), 33 RBIs (2nd) and an OPS of .980 (1st). For a catcher with a lot of defensive responsibilities, he is a top offensive player.

Among all-time home run leaders, only Lee Man-su (1983-1984-1985) and Park Kyung-wan (2000-2004) are catchers. The physical demands of defence are high.

Coincidentally, Park is currently the battery coach for LG’s first team. Park won the title with 40 home runs in 2000 and 34 in 2004, and hit 314 home runs in 23 seasons. It remains to be seen if Dong-won Park can follow in his footsteps and become the third all-time catcher home run leader.