"There's a sniper living at Wiz Park" LG's Austin Dean cheerfully explained the awkward base-running blunder after stumbling while rounding third base [Jamsil On-site]

*This content was translated by AI.

LG Twins foreign hitter Austin Dean (33) cheerfully addressed an awkward base-running blunder from the previous day (April 30).

Dean led LG to a 5-1 victory in the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League regular-season home game held at Seoul Jamsil Baseball Stadium on the 1st, going 1-for-4 with one home run and two RBIs. With this win, LG improved to 18-10 with two consecutive victories, securing second place. NC fell further from the .500 mark with a record of 13-15.

Dean's home run effectively decided the game. In the bottom of the third inning with two outs, Cheon Seong-ho opened the scoring with a triple to deep center-left field. Dean then attacked the first pitch from Toda and sent it far over the left-field fence. It was his seventh home run of the season, traveling 122.1 meters. Shortly after, Moon Bo-kyung drew a walk, and Song Chan-ui lifted Toda's low fastball down the middle over the left-field fence again. It was his fourth home run of the season, traveling 126.7 meters.

After the game, Dean told reporters, "I knew the moment I made contact. Of course, even with strong hits at Jamsil, home runs don't always go out, so I was a bit concerned. But today, the wind didn't seem to affect it much, so I'm glad."

In his fourth season in the KBO, Dean is leading the LG lineup with powerful hitting, approaching a .400 batting average in scoring position this year. In the recent battle for first and second place against KT, he went 5-for-13 in 13 at-bats. The previous day, he nearly cost the team a fourth consecutive loss.

The situation arose in the top of the eighth inning with LG trailing 3-5, no outs, and runners on second and third. Leading off, Cheon Seong-ho hit a single to center field. Dean then hit a double down the left-field line, putting runners on second and third with no outs. Following that, Moon Bo-kyung hit a single to left field by targeting the first pitch from Han Seung-hyeok. Runner Cheon Seong-ho scored from third, and Dean also sprinted toward home plate. However, Dean lost control of his speed after passing third base and fell.

The fallen Dean attempted to return to base instead of scoring, which helped runner Moon Bo-kyung advance to second base. Dean was tagged out, and the following batter Song Chan-ui struck out on three pitches, nearly cooling off the comeback momentum. However, Park Hae-min and Koo Bon-hyeok hit consecutive sacrifice flies, instantly turning the game around and burying Dean's base-running blunder.

Dean joked, "There's an apartment building in the right-field area at KT Wiz Park. It looks like a sniper lives there. When I was rounding third base, it felt like my leg was shot. It must have been difficult from such a distance, but he seems like a very skilled sniper."

Of course, it was a joke. Dean said more seriously, "To be more serious, I did feel physically burdened every time I played this year. Yesterday, I thought it was important to get home, so I ran hard, but suddenly my leg gave out."

He added, "When that situation first happened, I was very angry with myself. But after winning the game and watching the play again, I even laughed. Sometimes, we should be able to laugh while playing baseball. I'm trying to accept it positively."

Manager Yeom Kyung-yeop and the LG players held a team meeting before the game to discuss Dean's decision to return to base from third, ensuring it wouldn't happen again. Dean responded cheerfully, "At that moment, I thought I was going for home. So I instinctively chose to return to base, but after seeing the replay, I think I would have been safe if I had gone for home. I did my best to let Moon Bo-kyung advance from first to second. Well, looking at it again, it is kind of funny."

Last year, after joining the KBO, Dean played only 116 games due to injuries. Even in those games, he hit 31 home runs and drove in 95 runs, fulfilling his role. However, aiming for a full-time schedule, he focused on physical training during the off-season.

Dean said with determination, "It's going according to plan. During last season, I realized I wasn't in top condition. I felt a sense of responsibility for that, and I'm glad that my good preparation during the off-season is leading to good results."

He continued, "I think maintaining condition by playing every day is very important. I believe playing every day without injury increases the team's chances of winning. Recently, the team has faced many unlucky and difficult games, but all players fought well. In the future, I will work hard to maintain the team's overall condition."

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*This content was translated by AI.