'Lonely Son Ah-seop' goes 0-for-6 in Futures League → Allows most hits in comeback → First-division lineup explodes

*This content was translated by AI.

The queen of the seasons, yet Doosan Bears' Son Ah-seop (38) is spending a lonely May.

Son Ah-seop is currently staying in the 2nd division (Futures League). He was traded from Hanwha Eagles on April 14 and started with enthusiasm, but after a slump in batting performance, he was excluded from the 1st-division roster just 15 days later on the 29th.

During this period, his record for the most career hits in KBO League history was surpassed by Choi Hyung-woo (43, Samsung Lions), dropping him to second place. Choi Hyung-woo hit four hits in a single game against Daegu Hanwha on the 3rd, reaching a career total of 2,623 hits and overtaking Son Ah-seop (2,622 hits) by just one hit. Until last season, Son Ah-seop had 2,618 hits and Choi Hyung-woo had 2,586, a difference of 32 hits. However, this season Son Ah-seop added only four hits, while Choi Hyung-woo hit 37 hits in 29 games, reversing their standings.

His performance in the Futures League is also not yet impressive. In his first game on April 30 against Goyang, Son Ah-seop went 0-for-3 in three at-bats. On the 1st, against Goyang again, he went 0-for-2 in two at-bats. On the 2nd, against Hanwha, he recorded one hitless at-bat, two walks, one run scored, and one RBI. In total across three games, he is 0-for-6.

Even if he returns to the 1st division, Son Ah-seop's playing time is not guaranteed. Doosan, which suffered from severe batting slumps early in the season, has recently seen its batters regain their form and has climbed to joint fifth place. Over the past weekend, in three games against Kiwoom Heroes, the team exploded for 32 runs.

Young players such as Park Jun-soon, Ahn Jae-seok, and Kim Min-seok are injecting energy into the lineup, and Yang Eui-ji and Cameron have also regained their batting form. Park Chan-ho and Jung Soobin have been consistently active, and recently Kim Ki-yeon and Oh Myung-jin have also contributed. There are no easily noticeable openings for a corner outfielder or designated hitter to accommodate Son Ah-seop.

On the first day after joining Doosan, Son Ah-seop celebrated his first hit of the season with a home run in a game against SSG Landers, and on the following day, the 15th, he hit another hit, appearing to signal his revival. However, since then, he has only added one hit each in games against KIA Tigers on the 18th and Lotte Giants on the 23rd. His season statistics, including one game while with Hanwha, show 36 at-bats, 4 hits (batting average 0.111), 1 home run, 4 RBIs, and 9 strikeouts in 12 games.

Doosan manager Kim Won-hyeong (52), when excluding Son Ah-seop from the 1st-division roster, said, "He is a veteran who was traded in, and since he hasn't been performing well, he feels a lot of pressure and seems to be psychologically pushed to do well." He added, "It seems he needs time to continue playing in the 2nd division (Futures League) to regain his form."

On the first day after joining Doosan, Son Ah-seop said, "Noh Si-hwan (26, Hanwha Eagles) called me and said, 'I wore the number 8 at Doosan with the thought of being with you,' and he seemed happy about that." He also added, "And since the number 8 symbolizes 'tumbler spirit,' I also told him, 'Let's wear the number 8 together and stand up again.'" After hitting the home run that day, he said, "I felt relieved. I really wanted to play baseball and wanted to run on the 1st-division stage, and those emotions seemed to rise in a short time. So I felt very good."

Since his debut in 2007, Son Ah-seop has played for four teams (Lotte-NC-Hanwha-Doosan) over 20 years and is regarded as a player who has played baseball more diligently and earnestly than anyone else. It remains to be seen whether he can rise again like a tumbler, just as his jersey number symbolizes.

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*This content was translated by AI.