'Fourth-Inning Full Assembly': Park Chan-ho's Apology Gesture and the Profound Words of Japanese Coach Koto → Doosan Players Awakened

*This content was translated by AI.

Doosan Bears defeated the KIA Tigers to achieve a five-game winning streak. The source of this strength was the unified coaching staff and the players.

On the 14th, Doosan defeated KIA 8-1 in an away game against KIA at the Gwangju-KIA Champions Field as part of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League regular season.

With this victory, Doosan improved to 33 wins, 2 ties, and 31 losses, surpassing the Hanwha Eagles, who lost to Kiwoom on the same day, to jump to fifth place. Additionally, the gap with fourth-place KIA narrowed from 1.5 games to 0.5 games.

In the bottom of the fourth inning, when Doosan was leading 3-1, leadoff batter Oh Myung-jin reached base due to a fielding error by KIA first baseman Po Gu. The next batter was Park Chan-ho.

Park Chan-ho took a bunting stance on the first pitch. However, as the ball grazed the low outside zone, Park Chan-ho instantly pulled his bat back. The home plate umpire called it a strike. At that moment, the runner on first base, Oh Myung-jin, attempted to steal second base. However, rather than a full sprint for a steal, he ran at a speed typical of a hit-and-run play.

A throw from Kim Tae-geun reached second base, resulting in an easy out. For Doosan, this was a moment where a precious opportunity to extend their lead was lost.

After the inning ended, the players gathered near the Doosan dugout. At the center of the gathering was third-base and base-running coach Koto. Coach Koto delivered a profound message to the players.

At the time, Coach Koto said, "Since we are in the middle of the game, let's not dwell on what has passed and focus on the game. Let's focus only on winning," conveying a short but impactful message.

Park Chan-ho also joined in. After Coach Koto finished speaking, Park Chan-ho tapped his own chest to convey his apology to his teammates and even performed an action indicating "my own mistake."

As a result, it appeared that Doosan became more focused on the game after this meeting. In the later innings, they scored two runs in the seventh, two runs in the eighth, and one run in the ninth, ultimately securing an 8-1 victory.

Doosan manager Kim Won-hyung, the team's commander, praised the pitchers first after the game: "Starting pitcher Kwak Bin was not in perfect condition, but he overcame the crisis himself and pitched like an ace. It is significant that he became the winning pitcher in both of his two appearances over the past week. Relief pitchers Lee Yong-chan, Kim Dong-ju, and Choi Ji-ang also did their part."

He continued, "Yang Eui-ji's two-run home run allowed us to seize the initiative. Park Chan-ho also led the lineup with three hits. Park Chan-ho recorded a valuable run with a bold base-running play in the eighth inning. In addition, Jo Su-hyung and Ahn Jae-seok showed good performance," while also praising the position players.

Finally, he said, "We played away games for a week, and all the players worked hard. We were able to achieve the desired results by showing focused performance in every game. I would also like to thank the fans who supported us until the end."

Now, Doosan will play a three-game home series against KT Wiz from the 16th to the 18th, followed by a weekend away rivalry game against the LG Twins at Jamsil.

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*This content was translated by AI.