The tiger lives only when the ‘bull’ runs rampant. This is the story of Hwang Dae-in (27) of the KIA Tigers and Socrates Brito (31, Dominican Republic), a foreign player. KIA coach Kim Jong-guk recently said, “Hwang Dae-in and Socrates must come back to life. That will give you strength in the line. He often said, “I hope the two rise together.” These two players, who played a big role last year and led KIA to the postseason, faltered this year.

Hwang Dae-in was dropped as the starting first baseman last year when coach Kim took over. Hwang Dae-in, who had always raised expectations since joining in 2015, but failed to win the starting lineup, met coach Kim’s expectations 100%. Last year, his batting average was only 0.256 and 14 homers, but he hit long hits every chance and scored 91 runs. 10th overall in the league and 2nd in the team after Na Seong-beom (97).

Last year, Socrates, who wore the KIA uniform, was called a ‘good fortune’. Last season, he batted 0.311 with 17 homers, 77 RBIs and 12 stolen bases. As a center fielder, he was also good defensively.안전놀이터

However, both players have slowed down this year. Hwang Dae-in had a batting average of 0.211 and two home runs until the 14th. His RBIs were only 13. Socrates’ batting average (0.273), home runs (2), and RBIs (16) all fell short of last year. KIA, where Na Seong-beom and Kim Do-young were injured, suffered from poor attack power as Hwang Dae-in and Socrates were also sluggish. Even with the best left-handed starting pitchers in Korea, including Hyeon-Jong Yang, Eui-Ri Lee, and Young-Cheol Yoon, the winning rate was less than 50%.

However, the bat of the ‘bull duo’, which had been hesitant, began to spin vigorously again. Hwang Dae-in had a solo home run in the 5th inning against the Samsung Lions in Daegu on the 16th, followed by a timely hit in the 7th inning. Socrates hit a cool three-run home run (Season No. 3) that ran away 8-2. On the 17th, the bull duo contributed to KIA’s victory by recording multi-hits side by side.

KIA hitting coach Lee Bum-ho said, “Hwang Dae-in had a good swing and balance. He only missed it little by little, so he said ‘let’s push’. Socrates’ timing was a little late. After analyzing the video, the timing got better.” Socrates said, “With the help of the power analysis part, analyzing the opposing pitcher’s weaknesses and responding well produced good results. It will get better in the future.”