Lions manager pleased with progress of youngsters
Lions manager pleased with progress of youngsters
Blog Article
The Samsung Lions have been road warriors in Korean baseball this season, for reasons their manager Park Jin-man thinks are based on the team's youth.
The Lions have the best road record in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) at 16-6-1 (wins-losses-ties). But they have the fewest wins at home, in the southeastern city of Daegu, with a 7-11 win-loss record.
At 23-17-1, the Lions are tied for second place in the 10-team league, and they will try to improve on that road record Tuesday evening, when they visit the SSG Landers in Incheon, just west of Seoul.
When asked about the big home-road splits, Park attributed it to the 스포츠 pressure his young players must be feeling in front of the home crowd.
"We have a bunch of young position players. They will never admit to this, but I think they all feel pressure to play well at home," Park told reporters at Incheon SSG Landers Field. "I think they will get better in that aspect as they gain more experience. Hopefully, we'll start winning a few more games at home, too."
Leading that youth movement for the Lions has been third baseman Kim Young-woong. Still only 20, Kim leads the Lions with nine home runs and a .542 slugging percentage, and sits in second place with 26 RBIs.
"I think he's probably the one guy who isn't feeling any pressure," Park said of Kim with a smile. "There are players who do great in practice but can't handle the pressure in game situations. He's the type of player who thrives in games. And it's been really gratifying watching him and other young guys grow. I feel like I am growing with them."
In a show of his trust in the rising star, Park inserted Kim into the cleanup spot for the fifth straight game Tuesday. Kim started the season as the Lions' No. 9 hitter.
"He's going to remain our cleanup hitter for the foreseeable future," Park declared. "He's been doing great and there's no reason to change anything."
In a pregame chat with media, Kim said, contrary to what his manager thinks, he does feel some pressure from being his team's new cleanup hitter. But Kim said he's trying to ride the wave while it lasts.
"It's just fun playing games, and I am not thinking too much about my spot in the lineup," Kim said. "I've been feeling comfortable since I started putting up some solid numbers."
Even though he is on pace for more than 30 home runs, Kim said he doesn't necessarily see himself as a home run hitter.
"I don't want to start thinking about 30 homers because that would only bring more pressure," Kim said. "I just want to keep making solid contact for doubles and triples. My goal is to be a gap hitter with some power."
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