The top topic of the fall baseball season has emerged! Can Doosan's "hit product" and national team second baseman take the stage in the Wild Card round?

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

Will we get to see Park Jun-soon (20), Doosan Bears' "premium hit product" and "next-generation national team second baseman," on the fall baseball stage?

Doosan concluded its regular season schedule with a final home game against the Lotte Giants at Seoul Jamsil Baseball Stadium on the 12th. Although they lost 4-7, they will immediately enter the fate-deciding Wild Card (WC) series against "Jamsil rivals" the LG Twins starting on the 14th. With a do-or-die showdown ahead, Doosan's biggest concern is undoubtedly the physical condition of their starting second baseman, Park Jun-soon. The outcome of fall baseball hinges on whether he makes the roster, as he has been a core part of Doosan's lineup this season.

Doosan manager Kim Won-hyung spoke to reporters ahead of the final regular season game against Lotte on the 12th regarding Park Jun-soon's condition. In response to related questions, Manager Kim stated, "He reported that his symptoms and pain are definitely less than before, so he is lightly handling batting practice," adding, "We will need to make a final check of the report from the training staff after today's game to get a clear picture."

Beyond batting, whether he can handle defense is the biggest issue. Manager Kim showed caution, saying, "Even if he can bat, it is important whether he can play defense. We need to think more deeply with the coaching staff about whether we can include him in the roster when considering everything comprehensively, including defense."

Park Jun-soon felt pain in his right thigh while running the bases during a game against the Daegu Samsung Lions on the 4th and was removed from the first division roster on the 6th. Given that he had previously been sidelined for about five weeks due to an injury in the same area last May, the coaching staff's dilemma is inevitably deep.

In fact, Park Jun-soon has been a definitive "hit product" leading Doosan's offense and defense this season. He was selected for the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games baseball national team held in September last month, winning a gold medal, and is also evaluated as an infielder of the Cha Se-dae (CEO) team who will lead Korean baseball.

His actual performance has been dazzling. This season, he appeared in 98 games, recording a .302 batting average (114 hits in 378 at-bats), 16 home runs, 61 RBIs, 52 runs scored, an on-base percentage of .356, a slugging percentage of .497, and an OPS (on-base plus slugging) of .853. In particular, his batting average in scoring position reached .346, demonstrating his closer instincts at every crucial moment. As this is a short series, the weight of the lineup will change completely depending on whether their starting second baseman is present or not.

Doosan now looks ahead to an unyielding "Jamsil blood battle" against LG. From Doosan's perspective, one loss means elimination from the series. Manager Kim Won-hyung stated, "No matter who the opponent is, it is only natural that fans who love Doosan want to watch our baseball at Jamsil for a longer time," reaffirming his determination to write a fall baseball miracle for the fans.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original