This is why I came here”.
Kim Tae-gun (33), the main catcher of the KIA Tigers, spent a month of transfer hotly. In the Gwangju game against the Hanwha Eagles on the 5th, he contributed to the victory as a hitter at an important moment. It was the 7th attack. After adding one point and running away to 5-3, a chance with a base loaded came. The opponent sent out Lee Woo-sung with an automatic walk and chose himself. The ball count was pushed to 1-2, but it hit the side of the pitcher and rolled in front of the center fielder.
It was a decisive shot with two runners hitting home to make the difference 7-3. He made a long-awaited multi-hit, including a right-handed hit in the previous at-bat. He also scored in three consecutive games so far. As the 8th hitter exerted his strength, the cohesion of the batting line improved. The team returned to the black with three consecutive victories.
Kim Tae-gun said, “When I had a chance, I went in with the image of a breaking ball, but the pitch I thought became a foul. It felt like going down in one shot. The part I have to do is the part where I have to go with the pitchers. I became a little conscious because I couldn’t hit well.”
Exactly one month has passed since the July 5 trade. Upon being traded, he added strength with a bat that produced RBIs in four straight games. The team went on a 6-game winning streak. It was an explosion of trade effects. His home-keeping skills were also worthy of a veteran catcher. He led the pitchers’ aggressive pitching. During the month of transfer, he was second in team ERA (3.80).
He uses the expression ‘rough’ for pitchers and emphasizes aggressive and bold pitching. “I thought KIA pitchers would be very rough, but they don’t have that side. So, I said a lot that it would be nice if the pitchers were rough on the mound. I have to go in. I’m leading it according to my style. The situation is the situation, so I have to accumulate 1 win by 1 win. Now it’s a plus 1. I want it to be a little rougher.
I played almost full-time as the main catcher for a month after the transfer. Han Jun-soo is supporting him, but with the heat wave continuing, he is physically burdened. However, he laughed, saying, “It’s hard. It’s hard, but you shouldn’t show off your hardships while playing baseball. If the main catcher is struggling, the pitcher is harder. The fielders are looking at me according to my actions, so I try not to show off as much as possible. It’s hard on my body, but I’m happy in my heart.” 꽁머니사이트
He also revealed his commitment to fall baseball. “I have a lot of work to do. I have to think about the bullpen, think about starting, and attack as a fielder. I think I definitely do it with the home fans behind my back. It’s something I have to overcome. I think it’s important how to have a good influence on the team.”
Lastly, I also evaluated foreign ace Panoni and rookie Yoon Young-chul. “Yoon Young-cheol played a lot on the border line. It seems to help reduce the number of pitches and solve the game. As you can see, it looks like they are just hitting it,” he said, raising his thumb. /sunny@osen.co.kr