"When one thing goes well, another doesn't." A critical fielding error turned into a two-run home run and a clutch hit by an infielder who changed his own fate.

*This content was translated by AI.

"I've been worried because my hitting has been off lately. When one aspect goes well, another seems to fail."

This was the concern troubling An Sang-hyun (29, SSG Landers) recently. Yet, ironically, he found a solution to this very dilemma. He made up for his defensive slump with strong hitting, leading his team to victory.

On the 27th at Incheon SSG Landers Field, during a home game against Hanwha Eagles in the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League, An Sang-hyun delivered an outstanding performance with two hits in five at-bats, including a two-run home run, four RBIs, and one run scored.

Trouble began in the first inning. Starting pitcher Kim Geon-woo struggled, and despite allowing only one run after consecutive walks, the bases became loaded. It was here that An Sang-hyun committed a critical error. He failed to field a ground ball hit by Kim Tae-yeon, leading to an additional run. The runner who advanced to third base scored on a subsequent sacrifice fly. Later, another run was allowed via a sacrifice fly. Had An Sang-hyun turned a double play in that situation, the inning would have ended with just one run allowed.

With added pressure from his shoulder, An Sang-hyun immediately made amends at the plate. In the bottom of the second inning with two outs and runners on second base, he smashed a high fastball clocked at 142 km/h thrown by Bruce Zimmermann, sending it over the left-field wall for a two-run home run — his third of the season. This quickly narrowed the score gap.

He struck out in the third and fifth innings and flew out to right field in the sixth, but in the bottom of the eighth with SSG leading 10-5, he stepped up to the plate with two outs and runners on second and third bases. Facing Jung Woo-ju, he hit a double down the right-field line, driving in two more runs.

Four RBIs mark a career high for An Sang-hyun. While he had previously recorded three RBIs in four separate games, this time he swept four RBIs including a home run, helping secure the win for his team.

After the game, An Sang-hyun said, "I made an error early in the game and felt it was a huge mistake, which weighed heavily on me. That's why I wanted to make up for it with my hitting. I was looking for pitches inside, and fortunately, I got a hit right from my first at-bat."

He continued, "Today, there were runners constantly in front of me. With the need to score, I focused even more. I'm glad I could drive in runs."

This performance came amid recent struggles with hitting. Despite recording two hits today, his batting average over the last 10 games stood at just .133.

Prior to this, Manager Lee Sung-yong had said, "There's a difference in focus compared to other players; it's been a painful spot for me. He's not lacking effort, but his skills haven't caught up, which is disappointing. If he doesn't follow the baseball approach he believes in — such as pitch selection — he'll just be a hitter who swings at whatever comes his way. Timing might be off, but if he finds out why he can't hit and reflects on it himself, growth will come faster. Sang-hyun lacks this aspect. I've given him plenty of tough love and praise."

That makes today's performance even more valuable. An Sang-hyun said, "I've been very worried because my hitting has been off lately. When one thing goes well, another seems to fail. Both offense and defense weren't working perfectly. Still, I'm grateful to Manager Lee Sung-yong for giving me the opportunity. There's still much room for improvement, and I often ask questions to the hitting coaches, who always help me. That's how I achieved good results today. I'll become an even more diligent player."

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*This content was translated by AI.