“I will improve day by day and become a more mature me.”
Joo Seong-won (23), who joined the Heroes in the 24th overall in the 2nd 3rd round of 2019, scored the first professional hit in a home game against KT on the 12th.
In the bottom of the 9th inning, when they were losing 3-4, Kiwoom manager Hong Won-ki used a pinch hit card as the lead hitter, but it was Joo Seong-won who had no history of hitting in the pros. There must have been a lot of pressure, but pinch hitter Joo Seong-won calmly hit KT finisher Kim Jae-yoon’s 146 km/h fastball in a 2-strike 2-ball situation and made a heavy hit. It was the moment he scored the first hit of his pro career.
Regarding the reason for using Joo Seong-won as a pinch hitter the next day, coach Hong said, “The second group showed batting talent. He also had a good batting record. The bottom of the 9th was our team’s last chance to attack, so I sent it out because it was a good hitter.”
Joo Seong-won recorded a batting average of 0.309 (58 hits in 188 at-bats), 6 homers, and an OPS (on-base percentage + slugging percentage) of 0.888 in the Futures League (2nd team) this season. On April 27, he even recorded a ‘cycling hit’ in a match against SSG Landers Future Steam. Based on his performance in the 2nd group, he was called up to the 1st group once on May 5th, and was called up again on the 11th.
Joo Seong-won, who scored his first professional stage hit the day before and started as the 6th hitter and right fielder the next day on the 13th, met with Sports Seoul before the game and said, “I didn’t wait for the first hit. Because he didn’t achieve my goal just because he got one hit. He just worked hard for my goal, so I wasn’t very happy.”
Regarding the situation at the time, Joo Seong-won said, “I tried to play with a quick count because the opponent’s finisher (Kim Jae-yoon) had a good ball. He went to bat, determined to turn the bat with confidence. He explained, “I think it came out as a good result because I was rushed to the unfavorable count (2S 2B) and tried to get on base somehow.”
His batting performance in the Futures League this season was the best since he joined the pros. As a result, he was able to enter the first team stage that he dreamed of. Joo Seong-won said, “Ahead of this season, I went to Taiwan for spring camp and learned a lot about how to fight the pitcher from the batting coach. He also said, “It seems that the results of the little efforts he made through trial and error in many at-bats came out.”
He entered the first team stage in his fifth year as a pro, and recorded his first hit. However, Joo Seong-won evaluated his performance in the first half of this season as ’50’ out of 100. He said, “It’s 50 points. still quite lacking. Technically and physically, I want my baseball to grow a little more.”
Joo Seong-won was originally a catcher. However, he made a positional switch to an outfielder last year. He said, “After serving in the military, I wondered if I could be a good catcher. I asked my doctor if the club was thinking the same, and I changed it to an outfielder that can make use of my strengths more.”토토사이트
Since he was a catcher, will he be able to figure out the opponent’s battery’s ball layout? Joo Seong-won said, “There seems to be a bit of that. When I reacted to a ball like this, there is something I would like to sign like this if I were the opposing catcher,” he smiled.
Based on his performance in the Futures League, Joo Seong-won will participate in the Futures League All-Star Game held at Sajik Stadium in Busan on the 14th. It is his first appearance in his life.
Joo Seong-won said, “From what I hear, it is not an All-Star selection. However, he will go out as a pinch hitter in the middle of the game and create a game that can be won like the Joker. I will try hard.”
Lastly, Joo Seong-won revealed his determination for the sluggish second half. He said, “The most important thing is to play the season without injury. And I want to improve day by day and become a me who has grown even more than last year when the season is over. I believe that if you work hard, the results will follow!”