Misunderstanding of the bench clear? "Late time request was my fault," coolly admitted 20-year-old Park Jun-soon → A perfect copy of 'Ryu Hyun-jin's composure' → 'Their faces look somewhat similar'

*This content was translated by AI.

Seoul Jamsil Stadium, the 26th. In the bottom of the 10th extra inning, LG Twins and Doosan Bears were locked in a 3-3 tie. LG replaced Ham Deok-ju with 'second-year pro' Park Si-won. The leadoff batter was Park Chan-ho. With a 0-1 count, he targeted the second pitch, a 150km fastball, and reached base with a hit to left-center. The next batter was foreign hitter Cameron. At this point, the Doosan bench made a move. Substituting pinch-hitter Park Ji-hoon. He then cleanly executed a sacrifice bunt on the first pitch, creating a one-out, second-base opportunity.

The next batter was '20-year-old' Park Jun-soon. An impressive scene unfolded here. The first pitch, a 134km slider, moved toward the body and then dropped sharply. This was the so-called 'donburi framing' (framing as if the catcher is covering it with the mitt), and it was called a strike. It appeared to be a strike that barely touched the low strike zone.

Typically, most batters express great regret when a strike is called due to such framing. Their gestures are often interpreted as showing dissatisfaction with the ABS (Automatic Ball-Strike System). However, Park Jun-soon showed none of that. He accepted it calmly without any movement, as if the strike was natural. There was no sign of any wavering; his composure was fully evident. It felt like watching the poker face of Ryu Hyun-jin, a living legend of Korean baseball. And now that I think about it, his face does look somewhat similar.

Second pitch. A slider came in at a similar location, and Park Jun-soon's bat swung and missed. It was a ball, but he swung at a pitch coming in at a similar location. Park Jun-soon was quickly put in an unfavorable 0-2 count. However, he did not back down easily. He displayed his best concentration, more than ever before. The third pitch was a foul. The fourth was a ball. Both the fifth and sixth pitches were fouls. Park Jun-soon continued to cut the 149km fastballs. Finally, on the seventh pitch, he targeted a curveball (129km) that moved to the middle. The batted ball hit the third baseman attempting a sliding catch and then deflected toward the outfield. During this time, second baseman Park Chan-ho circled third base and scored. Doosan finally escaped the three-game losing streak thanks to Park Jun-soon's walk-off hit.

With this walk-off hit, Park Jun-soon became the youngest player in Doosan Bears history to hit a walk-off hit at 19 years, 9 months, and 13 days. The previous record was held by Na Ju-hwan (June 8, 2004, Jamsil SK game, 19 years, 11 months, 25 days), and the league-wide record for the youngest walk-off hit is held by Choi Jeong (August 27, 2005, Munhak Samsung game, 18 years, 5 months, 30 days).

In an interview with reporters after the game, Park Jun-soon said, "I am very happy that the team escaped the losing streak. I also think we were able to hit the walk-off because senior Park Chan-ho ran hard. The opposing pitcher's balls were fast, so I kept my timing early. After the first pitch was a strike, I held the bat shorter than usual and focused on hitting the center. As soon as the ball hit the bat, I thought it was well-hit, and fortunately, it deflected, allowing senior Chan-ho to score comfortably."

Regarding the scene where he remained calm even during the 'donburi framing' on the first pitch, he calmly stated, "Even if I regretted it, it was already a strike, so I think I just forgot about it quickly and focused more on the next at-bat." It was an answer that felt like watching the mindset of a 40-year-old veteran, not a 20-year-old.

Park Si-won, like Park Jun-soon, is a second-year pro (2025 LG 6th round, 60th overall). Before throwing the third pitch after two strikes, Park Jun-soon requested time a bit late and stepped out of the batter's box. Park Si-won then threw the ball without stopping his pitching motion, and it unfortunately went toward the body. This was a scene that could have led to a bench-clearing brawl or caused misunderstanding. However, Park Jun-soon said, "It was also my fault for calling time a bit late, and from the pitcher's perspective, not throwing like that could lead to injury risk. Since I didn't get hit anyway, it's fine." He once again showed a big mindset.

Last season, Park Jun-soon played in 91 games and committed 24 errors. This season, he has recorded 3 errors in 23 games. He said, "I have gained a lot of confidence in my defense now. I don't feel particularly anxious or anything like that. It's fun," showing his confidence.

Park Jun-soon joined Doosan Bears as the 6th overall pick in the first round of the 2025 KBO Rookie Draft. His signing bonus was 260 million won. He was the first infielder Doosan selected in the first round of the draft in 16 years, since Heo Kyung-min (currently with KT Wiz), who was picked 7th overall in the second round of the 2009 Rookie Draft. At the time of the draft, Doosan General Manager Kim Tae-yong praised him, saying, "We judged him to be a player who will shoulder one side of the infield for Doosan infielders for about 20 years. He is the best infielder of this year, worthy of his five-tool potential." Park Jun-soon also won the Baseball Star Award at the '2024 Futures Star Awards' in 2024. With his extraordinary skills and mental strength, Doosan fans' expectations for him this season are growing even higher.

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*This content was translated by AI.