*This content was translated by AI.
Yoon Dong-hee (23, Lotte Giants) hit a timely home run that dispelled concerns ahead of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, raising expectations that he can leave good memories at the Asian Games as he did three years ago.
On the 17th, Yoon Dong-hee appeared as a pinch hitter in an evaluation match against the Army Baseball Team (Sangmu) held at Seoul Gocheok Sky Dome, hitting a two-run single to lead his team to a 7-6 comeback victory.
Yoon Dong-hee, who has been struggling with severe slumps this season with a batting average of .241 (60 hits in 249 at-bats), was selected for the national team due to a lack of power among right-handed outfielders under 25 years old, but voices of criticism also emerged questioning whether he truly deserved the spot.
Since being called up to the national team, Yoon Dong-hee has intensified his training alongside Park Jun-soon (Doosan Bears). Head coach Ryu Ji-hyun said, "I thought it would be good for Yoon Dong-hee to feel refreshed when wearing the Won E-seo-do (CEO) team uniform as a way to change his mood. He must have been under a lot of stress," and added, "We spent three days thinking about how to schedule him. Since nothing was coming out in the end, I thought that creating a new environment could help turn around his condition, so rather than just having batting practice once, it would be better to give him time for himself and discuss directions with the coaching staff when preparing for the tournament."
Starting from the bench, Yoon Dong-hee stepped up to the plate in the bottom of the sixth inning with two outs and bases loaded while his team trailed 1-6. He hit a clean single to right field, bringing home two runners. He played a major role in securing the comeback victory during the eighth-inning tiebreaker.
After the game, head coach Ryu Ji-hyun expressed satisfaction, saying, "When Yoon Dong-hee hits the ball toward right field from center, it creates good situations," and added, "Seeing that happen makes me even more hopeful. I feel we now have various options, and our lineup has gained diverse possibilities."
Yoon Dong-hee also shared his thoughts, stating, "The coach gave me a special hit opportunity, which allowed me to take on a lot of training volume and find my timing. I made good contact at the plate and entered with confidence, leading to a positive result."
Before his final at-bat, Kim Geon-hee hit a walk-off single to conclude the game. Yoon Dong-hee smiled, saying, "Even though it was an exhibition game, I felt good because Team Korea won," and added, "I hoped my turn would come, but I'm satisfied that we won."
The fact that he produced a hit with a batted ball driven forward is significant. Yoon Dong-hee said, "It's something I had forgotten during this season," and noted, "I've been trying to hit the ball in that direction since practice, and I'm satisfied that it came out in my final at-bat."
Nevertheless, realistically, he is likely to remain a bench resource. Therefore, he is also preparing for situations where he might need to fill the shortage at first base by conducting first-base defensive training. Yoon Dong-hee said, "It was fun. Although there won't be many opportunities for me to play, I trained in a way that was more enjoyable than being nervous or tense."
He recalls the good memories from the 2022 Hangzhou Games three years ago. At that time, Lee Ui-ri (KIA), who had difficulty making the team due to injury, was dropped and replaced by Yoon Dong-hee, who made a huge contribution to winning the gold medal with a .435 batting average (10 hits in 23 at-bats), one home run, six RBIs, six runs scored, a .500 on-base percentage, a .696 slugging percentage, and an OPS of 1.196 across six games.
In particular, he hit safely in every game, including three hits in four at-bats against Taiwan in the group stage after a decisive 0-4 loss, and three times reaching base against Japan in the Super Round.
Yoon Dong-hee said, "I wasn't feeling well this season, so I hope to save that energy and use it during the Asian Games," and added, "Of course, it's true that good results also come when opposing pitchers make mistakes, but I hope that good energy gathers at the Asian Games and leads to positive outcomes."
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*This content was translated by AI.
