'Walk-off hit' that awakened Kwon Hee-dong: "I thought I'd become a catcher and do whatever it takes to end the game"

*This content was translated by AI.

Kwon Hee-dong's (36) walk-off hit led NC Dinos to victory. Behind this single swing that propelled NC to sixth place lies a hidden story.

On the 20th at Changwon NC Park, in a home game against Doosan Bears with both teams tied 4-4 in the bottom of the 9th inning and two outs with bases loaded, Kwon Hee-dong hit a walk-off single to left field, driving his team to a 5-4 win.

With this result, NC recorded 47 wins, 54 losses, and 2 ties, moving up to sixth place. They narrowed the gap with fifth-place Doosan Bears by 7.5 games, keeping their hope alive for a playoff berth.

NC had taken a 2-0 lead through the first five innings but surrendered two runs in the top of the 6th on consecutive hits by An Jae-seok and Park Chan-ho, allowing the score to tie.

After Koo Chang-mo held the line for six innings with only two earned runs allowed, NC immediately turned the tide in the bottom of the 7th. Following Choi Jeong-won's hit and Cheon Jae-hwan's sacrifice bunt, Kim Hyung-jun reached base on a third baseman's error, during which Choi Jeong-won circled third base and scored at home.

With two outs and runners on first and third, Kwon Hee-dong stepped up to the plate. After remaining silent in his previous two at-bats, he pulled Lee Byung-hun's inside low two-seam fastball after Han Byung-beom's stolen base to second, recording a walk-off single to left field with one RBI.

In the top of the 9th, NC suffered a painful tie. Closer Jeon Sa-min allowed a hit to An Jae-seok with one out, then issued walks to Park Chan-ho and Oh Myung-jin, putting the team in a bases-loaded, one-out crisis. Although he induced a ground ball to first base from Park Ji-hoon, a fielding error occurred, allowing two runners to score at home.

This time, luck favored NC. With one out, Cheon Jae-hwan's routine foul fly was dropped by Yang Eui-ji, and Cheon eventually reached second base with a double.

An Jung-yeol was subsequently replaced after being hit by a pitch on his wrist. After Kim Han-byung struck out, Kim Ju-won walked to load the bases, and Kwon Hee-dong stepped into the batter's box. He powerfully drove Kim Taek-yeon's inside low fastball down the left-field line. Cheon Jae-hwan crossed home plate, securing a thrilling walk-off victory.

After the win, manager Lee Ho-jun stated, "It was a meaningful victory as we were able to break our losing streak. All players showed strong determination to end the slump, and although the game remained tight until the late innings, they maintained their focus throughout and fulfilled their respective roles." He added, "Especially in the final moments of the bottom of the 9th, the batters delivered focused plays. Kwon Hee-dong handled the situation perfectly at the crucial moment."

Kwon Hee-dong, who recorded his fourth career walk-off hit, shared his thoughts: "I'm glad we could break our losing streak. I felt a bit uneasy after allowing the tying run in the 9th, but I'm happy we won without going into extra innings."

There was a secret behind the walk-off hit. "(An) Jung-yeol got hit on his hand, and a signal came from the bench that he would immediately switch to catcher," Kwon said. "I had been preparing for such a scenario, but I hoped it wouldn't come to this. I asked the earlier batters to finish the game if possible, and when my turn finally came, I stepped into the box thinking I'd do whatever it took to get on base and end the game. It seems that mindset connected."

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*This content was translated by AI.