'Occasionally,' every time he hits one, Jung Soo-bin's home runs have a 'special' quality. [Shin Hwa-seop's Sports Inside]

*This content was translated by AI.

In baseball articles, you often see expressions like this: "Even with the team's defeat, OOO's home run was a comfort." Really? Was it truly comforting when the team lost? It's a kind of cliché.

There are also cases like this. For instance, imagine a solo home run in the bottom of the 9th inning when the team is trailing 0-9. Fans can't help but feel regret, thinking, "Why didn't he hit it during a scoring opportunity earlier?"

In that sense, Doosan's Jung Soo-bin (36) has something special about his home runs. He hits them rarely, but they often occur at critical moments when the team needs them most, leaving a particularly strong impression.

This was also the case in the recent visit to Busan Sajik Stadium against Lotte Giants. In the first midweek game on the 21st, with the team holding a narrow 3-2 lead in the bottom of the 9th with two outs and runners on first and second, Jung Soo-bin hit a surprise three-run homer off Park Sung-min. This extended the lead by four runs, allowing Doosan closer Kim Taek-yeon to comfortably close out the bottom of the 9th.

The power bat struck again on the 22nd, precisely at the moment the team needed. After Doosan took an early 2-0 lead in the top of the 2nd, they surrendered a run in the bottom of the 3rd and found themselves trailing. Jung Soo-bin, leading off the top of the 5th, hit a solo home run off opposing starter Kim Jin-wook on the first pitch. With momentum secured, Doosan added two runs in the 7th and four in the 9th, winning 9-1 and securing their first four-game winning streak of the season.

Looking at the results of the six home runs he hit last year, two were tying shots, one was a go-ahead homer, and one was a go-ahead shot. In the eight games where Jung Soo-bin hit a home run last year and this year, Doosan recorded five wins and three losses. They are currently on a four-game winning streak.

Notably, his strength at Sajik Stadium is also eye-catching. Since his debut in 2009, he has hit 10 of his 44 career home runs (22.7%) against Lotte, and nine (20.5%) at Sajik Stadium.

As known, Jung Soo-bin is not a power hitter. His single-season record for most home runs is six, achieved in both 2014 and last year. His first consecutive two-game home run streak occurred on the 22nd-23, 2009, against Incheon SK Wyverns (now SSG Landers) in his rookie year; this recent occurrence marks the first time in 17 years and only the second time in his career.

However, whenever he hits one, it is often a 'nutrient-rich' home run that injects great vitality into the team's lineup and brings even greater joy to fans.

Jung Soo-bin's at-bat entrance music is "The Great Escape" by the American band 'Boys Like Girls.' At the end, Doosan fans chant "Soo-bin-ah~." Jung Soo-bin is now in his late 30s and is one of the team's veterans. Yet, fans still affectionately call him by his name because his constant diligence, all-out effort, hustle plays, and the intense joy he delivers, as seen here, continuously emanate from his charm.

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*This content was translated by AI.