'Poor Performance → Notification to Move to Minor League' FA Veteran Returns, Hits Two Hits Immediately: "What I Heard When Stepping Up to the Plate..."

*This content was translated by AI.

With another veteran now joining Park Chan-ho (31) in guarding the infield, the weight of the situation felt even heavier. Doosan's FA veteran Yang Seok-hwan (35) immediately contributed to a team victory with a multi-hit performance upon his return to the first division.

On the 18th, Doosan secured a 2-1 victory over KT Wiz in a regular-season home game at Seoul Jamsil Baseball Stadium in the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League.

With this win, Doosan successfully broke its losing streak, recording 34 wins, 2 draws, and 33 losses. The team currently holds sole possession of 5th place in the league standings. They maintain a 1.5-game gap behind 4th-place KIA Tigers, while extending their lead over 6th-place Hanwha Eagles to 1.5 games.

Prior to this game, Doosan called up Yang Seok-hwan and right-handed pitcher Kim Jeong-woo to the first division, while removing Choi Seung-yong and Kang Seung-ho from the roster. It had been 47 days since Yang Seok-hwan was last registered in the first division lineup.

Doosan manager Kim Won-hyeong, the team's commander, immediately gave Yang Seok-hwan an opportunity upon his call-up, starting him as the cleanup hitter and first baseman. Before the game, Manager Kim explained the background of Yang's call-up, stating, "Yang Seok-hwan's strength is undoubtedly his power-hitting ability. The team needs that power, and his performance in the minor league has improved significantly recently. We are placing our hopes on that aspect."

In the third inning, Yang Seok-hwan appeared as the leadoff batter. Doosan fans greeted him with loud cheers and generous applause. The result was a foul fly out to the third baseman.

However, his next at-bat was different. In the bottom of the fifth inning, with the team trailing 0-1, Yang Seok-hwan, batting leadoff, hit a two-run single that dropped just inside the left-field line after a grueling full-count battle extending to nine pitches. Later, in the following at-bat, An Jae-seok hit a ground ball that was fielded by the first baseman and deflected toward right field, allowing a run to score and tying the game.

In the sixth inning, he recorded an infield hit toward the third baseman, completing his multi-hit game.

After today's game, Yang Seok-hwan's season statistics stand at 28 games played, with a batting average of 0.220 (20 hits in 91 at-bats), 1 home run, 3 doubles, 6 RBIs, 6 runs scored, 8 walks, 29 strikeouts, a slugging percentage of 0.297, an on-base percentage of 0.272, and an OPS (on-base plus slugging) of 0.569.

After the game, Yang Seok-hwan said, "It was a joy to return after a long time and see the team break its losing streak and secure a win. Although I recorded a multi-hit game, the second infield hit was fortunate," showing a humble attitude.

Yang Seok-hwan also achieved his 200th career double today. He expressed, "Of course, I am happy to see the record, but I have no personal ambition for individual records. Right now, I just want to contribute to the team's victory."

Finally, he said, "I am grateful to the fans who cheered loudly when I stepped up to the plate," showing that he has not forgotten them. What kind of performance will Yang Seok-hwan deliver for the remainder of this season? Expectations among Doosan fans are rising.

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*This content was translated by AI.