'A party of unprofessional errors?' Kim Won-hyeong recalls Park Sung-han: "We must endure." Doosan's infield grows stronger in such times

*This content was translated by AI.

Despite suffering painful walk-off defeats on consecutive days, Doosan Bears manager Kim Won-hyeong (54) focused his gaze not on scolding but on boosting the players' morale and looking toward the future.

Doosan suffered back-to-back walk-off losses in road games against KT Wiz at Suwon KT Wiz Park on the 26th and 27th. Coincidentally, errors during the middle stages of both games directly led to runs. On the 26th, consecutive errors by An Jae-seok and Park Chan-ho in the third inning; on the 27th, a throwing error by An Jae-seok in the fourth inning proved decisive, resulting in painful runs. With the disgraceful record of 10 consecutive games featuring errors, some critics cast sharp glances at what they deemed unprofessional defense.

As the atmosphere among the infielders dimmed due to juniors' repeated errors and team defeats, Park Chan-ho (31), the "starting shortstop" anchoring the infield, rolled up his sleeves. Park stayed awake past 3 a.m., sending messages in Doosan's infield group chat to comfort his juniors and encourage them to pull themselves together. This was the sincere, weighty gesture of a veteran seeking to unite the entire infield in shared responsibility during a crisis. In fact, on the afternoon of the 28th starting at 1:50 p.m., the Doosan infielders were already on the field conducting focused infield drills to tighten their disorganized defense.

Manager Kim Won-hyeong also addressed reporters' questions about defensive errors ahead of the rain-cancelled Jamsil Kiwoom Heroes game on the 28th, stating, "Errors and walks are inevitable in baseball; they can never be completely eliminated." He continued, "Since they cannot be eliminated, the right approach is to minimize them as much as possible. However, the timing of recent errors has been somewhat unfortunate. While they did lead to runs, from a manager's perspective, we must continue preparing for the next game. No one feels this more acutely than the players themselves. Scolding won't improve things, so I am being extra cautious." He then covered his head in humility toward the bowed players.

He added, "Ultimately, professional baseball players must hide their apologies and sense of responsibility inside themselves while displaying outward boldness on the field. Even if you make an error, as long as you don't repeat it next time, that's sufficient. We must endure." He urged An Jae-seok and the rest of the infield to use this trial as a stepping stone for further growth.

In reality, apart from anchoring shortstop Park Chan-ho, most of the current Doosan infielders are playing their first full season. Including An Jae-seok, who was discharged from military service, players such as Park Jun-soon and Park Ji-hoon have no experience playing more than 100 games in a single season. Only Lee Yu-chan and Kang Seung-ho have experience with seasons exceeding 100 games.

Defensive coach Son Ji-hwan (48) deeply empathized with the young infielders enduring the pressure of the standings race. Coach Son emphasized, "It is natural for players experiencing their first full season to feel psychological burden as they enter a serious standings battle. However, even this current burden will become a valuable experience for their defensive growth. It would be problematic if younger players became overly intimidated."

In fact, manager Kim Won-hyeong and defensive coach Son Ji-hwan nurtured Park Sung-han (28) as a national team shortstop while at SSG Landers from the 2021 through 2023 seasons. Park Sung-han himself endured harsh growing pains during his first full-time starting season in 2021, recording 23 errors in 135 games, and 24 errors in 140 games in the 2022 season. Yet, with the unwavering trust of the coaching staff, he rose to become a top-tier infielder in the league.

There is no leap without growing pains. Even amidst trials of painful errors and walk-off defeats, the steadfast trust of the manager and the leadership of veterans are firmly supporting the growth of the young bears. It remains intriguing whether the Doosan infielders, who have united more tightly before adversity, can overcome these growing pains and grow even taller.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.