'How could this be?' Shocked by traded Son Ah-seop's batting average plummeting to the .100s: "Coldly speaking, I'm not yet overwhelmed." Can a rebound come?

*This content was translated by AI.

Son Ah-seop (38), who joined the Doosan Bears via trade, has struggled to deliver explosive hitting. His batting average has ultimately fallen into the .100s.

On the 24th, Doosan lost 1-4 to the LG Twins in a regular-season home game at Seoul Jamsil Baseball Stadium in the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League.

With this loss, Doosan fell into a two-game losing streak following their defeat to the Lotte Giants at Sajik on the 23rd. Doosan now sits in 7th place in the league with a record of 9 wins, 1 tie, and 13 losses.

Son Ah-seop started the game as the second hitter and left fielder, going 0-for-3 with one RBI. Although he drove in the team's only run, he remained silent in scoring opportunities and could not celebrate.

In the bottom of the first inning, with one out and no runners on base, Son stepped up to the plate against LG's starting pitcher Im Chan-kyu. After watching two fastballs for strikes, he found himself in an unfavorable 0-2 count. The third pitch was a foul ball. He then attempted to hit the fourth pitch, a curveball, but was retired on a straight-line grounder to the shortstop.

In the bottom of the third inning, with one out and a runner on first, Son came to the plate for the second time. Facing a 1-1 count, he hit Im Chan-kyu's third pitch, a changeup, but grounded it to the second baseman, resulting in only the lead runner being out.

In his third at-bat of the game in the bottom of the fifth inning, Son became the player who recorded Doosan's only RBI of the day. With no outs and runners on first and third, he faced a favorable 2-0 count. He then connected with a 142 km/h fastball down the middle on the third pitch, hitting a sacrifice fly to center field for an RBI.

Most disappointingly, the seventh inning was the most frustrating. With Doosan trailing 1-2, the team found itself with one out and a runner on first in the bottom of the seventh. Son stepped up to the plate and faced Jang Hyun-sik. With a 2-1 count, he hit the fourth pitch, a slider, but grounded into a double play to the second baseman, hanging his head.

After today's game, Son Ah-seop's season statistics stand at a .133 batting average (4 hits in 30 at-bats), 1 home run, 1 double, 4 RBIs, 4 runs scored, 3 walks, 8 strikeouts, a .267 slugging percentage, a .206 on-base percentage, and an OPS (on-base plus slugging) of 0.143.

Son Ah-seop joined the Doosan Bears via trade on the 14th. At that time, the Doosan organization executed a trade with Hanwha, receiving Son Ah-seop in exchange for pitcher Lee Gyo-hoon and 150 million won in cash.

A Doosan Bears official explained the acquisition, stating, "This trade was made to strengthen the team's lineup. Son Ah-seop is a veteran hitter with experience that stands out in the league. We believe his current skills possess sufficient competitiveness. We expect not only his precision at the plate but also his role as a clubhouse leader."

On the day the trade was announced, Son Ah-seop started in the lineup against the Incheon SSG Landers while wearing the Doosan uniform. That very day, he hit his first home run of the season and delivered a multi-hit performance, appearing to show the strength of a thousand troops. On the 15th against SSG, he added another hit. However, he went 0-for-4 in the SSG game on the 16th, and from the 16th through the previous day (the 24th), he managed only 2 hits in 23 at-bats across six games played.

In February, while without a team, Son Ah-seop appeared on the program 'Baseball Legend Im Chan-kyu' and openly shared his true feelings without reservation. At the time, Son said, "Honestly, I truly have confidence. Having played for three teams, I've experienced many younger players rising up. There are many talented younger players, but coldly speaking, I am not yet overwhelmed. If I feel overwhelmed competing with those younger players, I must prepare for the next step (retirement)."

The season is still long. Son Ah-seop has not yet played even 10 games since the trade. Despite spending the winter without a team, Son did not neglect his training. Can he overcome his slump and regain his upward momentum? Doosan fans are sending him their heartfelt applause in hopes of his revival.

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*This content was translated by AI.