“I think Bo-kyung is a better mental player than me.”
LG captain Oh Ji-hwan (33) reflected on his past and praised junior Moon Bo-kyung (23) for making up for his mistakes in one day.
Oh started at shortstop in the sixth spot against KT in Suwon on April 7 and went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run, three RBIs and one stolen base. Moon Bo-kyung, who batted fifth and played third base, matched Oh with a 4-for-3 performance with a home run, a walk, a stolen base, and three runs scored.
LG completed the sweep with an 11-4 victory over KT. The team bounced back from a heartbreaking loss the day before to take the lead. With a season record of 69 wins, 44 losses, and two ties, LG is on the verge of reaching 70 wins and is 6.5 games behind KT in second place.
Here’s what Oh had to say to the media after the game.
-We got a meaningful win. Did you prepare any differently today after yesterday’s upset loss?
Regardless of yesterday’s upset loss, KT is a team that is fighting for the rankings, so it was a game where we really had to do our best. The players decided to play aggressively. We told them that yesterday’s game was yesterday, and today is a new game, so let’s focus on what we can do well and prepare well.
-Coach Yeom Kyung-yup After yesterday’s game, I heard that captain Oh Ji-hwan and Kim Hyun-soo did a good job of calming down Moon Bo-kyung and Ko Woo-seok. What did you talk about?
I didn’t say anything special. I told them they were doing well enough and had a good experience. I said I did my best, but something happened that I couldn’t control. I think it was a good experience for him because he could have chosen third base and thrown to first base. I don’t think it’s a failure, I think it’s a process of getting better.
-I don’t think we called a meeting and talked about it at length.
I don’t know if it’s necessary to keep holding on to these things and thinking about them, because if you keep going over your mistakes, they don’t get better. I made the most mistakes. As someone who has made a lot of mistakes, I know. When I hear nagging, I keep thinking about my mistakes. I told Bo Kyung-i, “It’s already over. You can’t take it back, so let’s just do what you can do well again as soon as possible.”
-Moon, who has had many similar experiences to Bo-Kyung in the past, says she has a secret to overcoming such situations.
At first, I used to pray a lot and stay away from the players after every mistake, but that wasn’t the answer. Somewhere along the line, I realized that another player could have been in that position and made the same mistake. I try to stay positive and confident, thinking, ‘I made a mistake once, let’s make a mistake twice, three times.
-Moon Bo-kyung shook off her mistakes yesterday and played well. Do you feel you have a stake as captain?
I think she’s a more mentally tough player than me. Earlier, when the score was close, she caught a high-bound ball and jokingly said, “This is how you do it. Did you see that?” The mood was good again, so I think what happened yesterday is over. I have no stake in it. The only answer is for the player to overcome it. Bo Kyung-i did a good job.
-What was the key to LG’s success against Ko Young-pyo?
First of all, all the hitters wanted to be aggressive, and I think it suits me a little bit. As a left-handed hitter, I can see the ball better and see it ahead of time. Even before I hit the home run, I was thinking first pitch changeup, second pitch slider, third pitch fastball, and it was a fastball.
-The team had four stolen bases against Young-pyo Ko. I think the team color of playing aggressively this year has been fully established.
First of all, the team color has changed a lot from before in terms of running. There are a lot of successes and a lot of failures, and I think that’s something you have to endure. Some things are established in the process. There are definitely situations where you shouldn’t run, such as running from second to third base in the second inning and dying.
-Do you think there’s a difference in the team as a whole when players are stealing a lot and getting killed a lot?
I think it’s going to be good for them later on in the postseason. There are a lot of games in the postseason where you’re facing one, two, or three starters. You don’t get a lot of consecutive hits, and when you’re being so aggressive, it definitely puts a lot of pressure on your opponent. On defense, having a fast runner on base definitely puts pressure on you. They can make mistakes and if you get a stolen base, you can score runs even if you don’t have a hit in a row. I think the way we’re playing now will help us in the postseason.먹튀검증
-We bounced back quickly from yesterday’s loss to get the winning series. We looked like a No. 1 team. We’re within striking distance of 70 wins.
I’m not thinking about the number yet. I think we just need to win our games. I don’t think we have a specific magic number, we just try to play our best every game. We’re the No. 1 team, so we don’t have to look down. I think we just need to keep the good vibes going.