*This content was translated by AI.
April 29: Doosan 4, Samsung 0 (Jamsil)
Doosan Bears led 3-0 through the 6th inning. However, as is often the case in modern baseball, that score was not one to rest easy on. Just the day before (the 28th), Doosan had trailed 0-3 but scored three runs in the bottom of the 9th to force extra innings.
Samsung Lions attempted to shift momentum in the top of the 7th by sending Kim Ji-chan in as a pinch hitter. The ball was hit as a grounder to third base. Doosan third baseman Ahn Jae-seok (24) cleanly fielded it and threw to first for the out.
With two outs, Sim Jae-hoon's hit also headed toward third base — and it rocketed over the third base bag like a bullet. At that moment, Ahn Jae-seok dove to make the catch and, though the throw was slightly high, he fired it powerfully to first base to retire the runner. It was a 'super catch' that drew cheers from the home crowd.
Perhaps buoyed by the stellar defense, Ahn Jae-seok immediately came to the plate as the leadoff hitter in the bottom of the 7th and launched a 125-meter wedge solo home run off reliever Bae Chan-seung. He crushed a 139 km/h slider on a 0-1 count, sending it over the center-field wall. This was his second home run of the season, his first since the the 2nd game against Samsung — a span of 27 days.
In the top of the 8th, the ball continued to be hit unusually often toward third base. Ahn Jae-seok first fielded a grounder between third base and shortstop from leadoff hitter Kim Heon-gon, then dove to stop a similarly directed hit from the next batter, Kim Sung-yoon. Ahn even looked at his glove in disbelief, as if unable to believe his own defense.
In the late stages of the game, with a hit potentially able to shift the momentum, Ahn Jae-seok delivered three spectacular defensive plays that effectively doused Samsung's comeback hopes. Thanks to his efforts, Doosan's starting pitcher Jack Log (6 scoreless innings) was followed by Jeong Jeong-woo, Yang Jae-hoon, and Lee Young-ha, each of whom pitched a scoreless inning to secure a shutout victory.
From his first day back in the first division, Ahn Jae-seok delivered a double, a wedge home run, and crucial defensive plays — a 'one-man show' that seemed to prove just how starved he had been for baseball.
Doosan manager Kim Won-hyeong (52) praised Ahn Jae-seok in his post-game assessment: "I was just as pleased with his defensive performance as with his multi-hit game, including a home run, in his return game. I hope he continues this strong momentum."
Ahn Jae-seok, met in the dugout after the victory, said, "Actually, the great defensive plays felt even better than the home run. I kept telling myself in a whisper, 'Let's have fun, let's have fun,' and that's why I was able to play with a good mood and enjoy myself."
Regarding his glance at his glove after retiring Kim Sung-yoon's ground ball in the 8th, Ahn smiled and said, "Honestly, I didn't think I'd catch it. There were many ambiguous hits, so I just stuck out my glove, and when it kept getting caught, I found it quite amazing. I probably thought to myself, 'Nice defense.'"
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*This content was translated by AI.
