'Struggling with two home runs ahead of FA,' LG winning catcher speaks honestly: "I felt like I was going to die... I thought the second time would be okay, but..."

*This content was translated by AI.

LG Twins' home plate stalwart Park Dong-won (36) openly admitted to feeling the pressure of his second free agency.

Park Dong-won started at fifth in the batting order and as catcher in the game against Kiwoom Heroes at Jamsil on the 23rd, going 1-for-2 with two RBIs, one walk, and one strikeout, leading LG to a 5-2 victory. With the win, LG evened the series against Kiwoom at one win and one loss, improving to 27-19 and maintaining a 0.5-game lead over the division leaders, placing them in third.

It could have easily repeated the nightmare of the previous day (22nd), when they suffered a 0-7 blowout loss. Starting pitcher Im Chan-kyu allowed a solo home run to Im Byung-wook in the first inning and a two-run single in the third, falling behind 0-2.

Shortly after allowing the two-run single, Park Dong-won made a startling error. A ball hit by Choi Ju-hwan on the first pitch rose high between the catcher and the third baseman, which Park failed to catch. Fortunately, first baseman Austin Dean fielded Choi's next hit cleanly and stepped on first base to record the second out, ending the inning without allowing any runs.

Park Dong-won managed to make up for his mistake. LG, trailing 0-2 in the bottom of the third, scored one run thanks to consecutive doubles by Song Chan-ui and Hong Chang-gi. Park Hae-min's infield grounder and Austin's one-run single to left-center tied the game at 2-2. Oh Ji-hwan then hit a double to right field, creating a scoring opportunity with two outs and runners on second and third. Park Dong-won capitalized with a two-run single to left field, instantly turning the score to 4-2.

The team continued to show strong performance on both offense and defense. Park Dong-won reached base via a walk in the bottom of the sixth and later, with no outs and a runner on first in the eighth, successfully executed a sacrifice bunt to create a scoring opportunity. Shin Min-jae then drove in a run with a one-run single to left-center, sealing LG's victory.

After the game, Park Dong-won met with reporters and reflected on his error in the third inning: "I thought I could catch it at first, but the wind suddenly made the ball go far away from me. It was tough, but Im Chan-kyu pitched well and covered for my mistake. I was truly grateful," he said with an awkward smile.

He added, "I expected a fastball in that situation. A mistake pitch came in, and it led to a good result. Getting a hit after the error relieved a lot of pressure. I really felt it was fortunate."

Park Dong-won is regarded as one of the best free agents in LG's history. Ahead of the 2023 season, he signed a four-year, 6.5 billion won contract and played a decisive role in two consecutive championship titles. Thanks to his league-leading performance, Park's non-FA multi-year contract talks remained a hot topic until just before the season opener.

This is because he will once again qualify for free agency at the end of this season. While discussions about a non-FA multi-year contract have been put on hold, his performance has not been as strong as expected. As of the end of the game on the 23rd, he was batting .231 (27 hits in 117 at-bats) with two home runs, 17 RBIs, and 16 runs scored, posting an on-base percentage of .357, a slugging percentage of .325, and an OPS of .682.

Especially, as seen in his seven consecutive seasons of double-digit home runs, his strongest asset — the home run — has been hard to come by. Regarding this, Park Dong-won said, "Honestly, I feel like I'm going to die. Still, I've received a lot of help from the coaches and have been preparing well, so I think I'm slowly improving. I'll try even harder," he smiled.

Even though it's his second free agency, the stress has been greater than expected. Park Dong-won said, "Actually, the first time was really tough. The pressure of free agency was intense, and at that time, my wife was heavily pregnant, so we couldn't live together, which made me feel lonely." He continued, "I thought the second time would be easier since the first was so hard, but it was still difficult. I guess I was worried because I thought my family would be happier if I performed well. Still, having my family nearby has been a great source of strength and comfort," he smiled.

In fact, Park Dong-won is not the only one deeply concerned about the slump. Since May, LG has struggled on both offense and defense, recording a team ERA of 5.41 (7th in the league) and a batting average of .250 (9th in the league).

Park Dong-won recalled, "Yesterday (22nd), we were losing and the mood was very poor. So we talked more among ourselves. We tried to cheer each other up, and the seniors even treated us to meals to lift the team's spirits." He added, "No one can hit well every day. Players are practicing hard to minimize ups and downs and are preparing as best as they can. I believe that as time goes on, the results of our practice will show," he vowed.

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*This content was translated by AI.