온라인카지노Samsung Lions infielder Cho Min-sung made his presence felt with two hits and two RBIs for the second straight day. He helped the team end its losing streak.
Samsung won its ninth game of the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League against SSG Landers 5-2 at SSG Landers Field in Incheon on Friday, snapping a five-game losing streak and improving its record to 27-41 (.397) on the season.
Cho Min-seong, who had been on the second team for over a month after being removed from the first team on March 4, was called up to the first team on March 24 against SSG. As soon as he made the roster, he was given the opportunity to start at first base as the No. 8 hitter. Before the game, Samsung manager Park Jin-man said, “He’s been playing in the Futures and still has a sense of the game, so he’ll start right away. The batting lineup was blocked, so I felt like I needed to make some changes,” Park said, expressing his excitement for Cho’s performance.
Cho Min-sung went 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs before being replaced by Kim Ho-jae, who came in to pinch-hit in the bottom of the fifth inning. The next day, Park Jin-man explained his decision to bring Cho to the bench, saying, “It was a decision to strengthen the defense,” but he also praised Cho’s hitting ability, saying, “He’s a talented hitter.”
On the 25th, Cho Min-sung started in the lineup and lived up to Park’s expectations, going 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs. His two-run double in the top of the second inning, when the team took a 2-0 lead, was crucial. Cho’s two RBIs were invaluable for the team. In the end, the team went on to win 5-2 and snap a five-game losing streak.
After the game, Cho said, “I try to do my best when I go to bat, and I think I was too lethargic the last time I was in the first team, so I thought a lot and practiced more after I went down to the second team. I think I was too greedy to do well.”
“I didn’t try to change much (technically), but Coach (Park) Han told me a lot about timing. I remembered that even before I came up, he advised me not to try to do anything else, but to turn the first pitch I saw,” he said, adding, “I originally focused on the big guns, but two days before I came up, Coach Han said, ‘It’s good to be a situational hitter,’ so I think I changed my mind a bit.”
Not only the hitting coach, but also “captain” Oh Jae-il, who is down in the second team, showed support for Cho. “Before I came up, (Oh) Jae-il bought me rice, and he said, ‘Go and do well,'” Cho said. I’m most grateful because I’m still hitting with the bat he gave me. I don’t know the weight, but Jae Il-hyung knew my bat style from camp,” he laughed.
Jo Min-sung then revealed an unexpected story. He said that he has found psychological stability since his military enlistment was confirmed. On the first of this month, the Commerce (Armed Forces Athletic Organization) announced the list of successful applicants for the second round of recruitment in 2023, and Cho Min-seong was included in the list. He will enlist in the military in December after this season ends.
“I think there’s something about being accepted into the commerce team while I was down in the second team that made me feel better,” he said. “I didn’t think about it, but a lot of people told me that my baseball would be better now that I’m in the commerce team, so I thought, ‘What does it matter,’ and I think they were right.”
Cho, who hit his first home run since making his first-team debut last year, hasn’t touched a ball in either the first or second team games for the All-Han, but he doesn’t mind. “I was a little stressed at first,” he said, “but I think I relaxed and thought, ‘It’ll come out someday. I just need to hit it here,” he said.