"(Choi) Hyung-woo hyung said he would go out to left field even though it's hot." Koo Ja-wook, who had back pain, expressed gratitude to his senior by ten years [On-site interview]

*This content was translated by AI.

"(Choi) Hyung-woo hyung said he would go out to left field even though it's hot."

Samsung Lions' Koo Ja-wook (33) expressed gratitude to his senior Choi Hyung-woo (43), who is ten years his senior.

On May 31, Koo Ja-wook started as the designated hitter, batting third, in the game against the Doosan Bears at Daegu Samsung Lions Park. He led his team to a 9-4 victory with an outstanding performance of 4-for-4 with 4 RBIs, 3 runs scored, and 5 times on base, including a two-run home run.

Koo Ja-wook opened the scoring with a double to left-center in the bottom of the 1st inning. Even after falling behind 1-2, he hit a double to right-center in the bottom of the 3rd inning. At that time, an error by the opposing right fielder Cameron allowed Samsung to tie the game. Then, in the bottom of the 5th inning with a 3-2 lead, he hit a two-run home run to right-center field off Doosan's starting pitcher Choi Min-seok (his 7th of the season). In the bottom of the 6th inning, Koo reached base on a hit-by-pitch. With the score at 6-4, he added a one-run double in the bottom of the 8th inning, breaking Doosan's will to chase.

On this day, Koo Ja-wook started as the designated hitter, sitting out of the field due to discomfort in his back muscles. The previous day (30th), during the bottom of the 3rd inning of the Doosan game, he fell backward while trying to avoid a pitch thrown by opposing starter Choi Seung-yong that was heading toward his face. Samsung manager Park Jin-man explained, "There is no major issue with his batting, but the muscles in his back are sore, making it a bit uncomfortable to bend over." Instead, Choi Hyung-woo took the field in left field.

After the game, Koo Ja-wook said, "Fortunately, the team took good care of me, and the pain has subsided to the point where it doesn't hinder my play. I think the good result came because Hyung-woo hyung went out to left field despite the heat."

Koo Ja-wook, who had been out for about 20 days due to a minor fracture in his left ribcage in mid-April, was hit on his right calf by a pitch from opposing pitcher Lee Yong-chan in the bottom of the 6th inning of this game. He said, "I don't know why such things happen to me so often, but injuries make me a bit more sensitive. I've been out for a month before after being hit on my calf." He added, "Since it's part of the game, I think I should accept it well. The more that happens, the more I need to steady my mind and think that I must win in competition."

With this win, Samsung was able to shake off the shock of suffering two consecutive walk-off home runs against Doosan on the 29th and 30th of last month, resulting in two consecutive comeback losses. Koo Ja-wook, who serves as the team captain, said, "Before the game, I told the players, 'Don't think of it as a losing streak; if we just stick to the basics, we can win.' He added, "I'm happy that we were able to wrap up the last game of May well."

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*This content was translated by AI.