1485 days, a green arch, and a happy ending: a team victory.
KIA Tigers Shin Beom-soo got his first taste of the first team after more than three years. Shin hit a grand slam in the top of the fourth inning to give his team a 3-1 lead against the Kiwoom Heroes at Gocheok Sky Dome on April 15. In a full-count battle with Kiwoom starter Chung Chan-heon, Shin lined a pitch high and out of the zone. After the hit, Shin raised his right hand as if he sensed a home run and pumped his fist in the air after watching the ball go over the fence and hit the outer wall of the Gocheok Dome. Kia went on to beat Kiwoom 8-4 on the day, avenging two one-run losses.
“I’m not tired, I’m happy,” Shin smiled as he met with the media, his face drenched in sweat, when asked if he was tired from playing full-time. On the home run, he said, “As soon as I saw the pitch, I knew it was going to be inside (the foul pole). I was sure it was going to go over,” he said, adding, “I was crying with excitement.”
He’s been with the first team for a month now. “I think I’ve gotten a lot better now because I’ve been studying to keep the pitchers from giving up as many runs as possible,스포츠토토 and I’ve gained confidence (by getting results),” Shin said, adding, “The bat is important, but I want to be as helpful as possible to the team defensively.”
As his time with the first team grew longer, so did the waves. As he began to analyze his opponents, he began to see fewer and fewer results at the plate. “I used to get impatient when I came up to bat,” Shin said, “and my friend (Choi) Won-joon helped me a lot in that regard.” “Not only did he help me with my batting mechanics, but he also helped me mentally. He’s a friend I’ve always been close to and relied on a lot, so even when I was in the business world, we communicated and helped each other a lot. After I was discharged, I went to his room (in the away team’s hostel) and asked him a lot of questions and got help.”
Longer partnership, higher goals. However, Shin shook his head and said, “I don’t have a goal in mind. “The coaches tell me, ‘You need to have the confidence of a first-team player,’ but I want to keep it simple. I don’t think I’m a first-team player by any means. I don’t think I’m a first-team player yet, so I want to show good form until the end.”