Hanwha outfielder Lee Jin-young, 27, hit his first career grand slam on Thursday against Samsung Electronics in Daejeon. Coming in as a pinch hitter in the bottom of the fifth inning with Hanwha leading 6-0 and trailing 6-5, Lee took a two-pitch curveball from Samsung’s switch-hitting pitcher Woo Kyu-min and smashed it over the left-center field fence. It made the score 10-5. It was the final score of the game and the one that led to Hanwha’s victory.
Realizing the home run was coming, Lee threw his bat high, did a signature bat flip, and raised his right hand in the air as he looked toward the Hanwha dugout at first base. He pumped his fist and roared, sending the Eaglespark into a frenzy. The home run came at a crucial moment, so there was plenty of reason to celebrate, but it was also a bit of an irritant for the opposing team.
After the home run, Woo Gyu-min threw the next batter, Lee Do-yoon, one or two pitches deep in the zone. The third pitch, a 136-kilometer fastball, found the back of Lee’s right leg. Three pitches in a row, all on the body, after a bat flip. It didn’t look intentional.
After the game, Lee said, “Do-yoon came over and said, ‘I got hit because of you. “He said, ‘Didn’t your batting average go up?’ We laughed at each other. There was a certain feeling among the players, and they accepted it as a part of baseball and an unspoken rule.
Looking back at the moment of the home run, pitcher Woo Kyu-min looked at the pitch. He didn’t see Lee do a bat flip and celebrate. If it was an empty ball, it can be inferred that it was not Woo’s personal judgment.
Samsung’s batters were hit by a pitch six times in the three games against Hanwha. After Oh Jae-il in the fifth and Kim Ji-chan in the ninth, Kim Jae-sung in the fourth, Kim Dong-yeop in the fifth, Kim Ji-chan in the seventh, and Jose Pirela in the eighth were hit by Hanwha pitchers. In the fifth inning, Kim Dong-yeop showed his discomfort by looking at Hanwha pitcher Ricardo Sanchez.
It was time for Samsung to send a “message” to their opponents, even if it was just to protect their teammates. In the KBO, where “fastballs” are commonplace, Lee’s ceremony, coupled with the previous dunes, was enough to inspire Samsung.
Judging by the atmosphere, a bench-clearing incident seemed likely, but nothing happened. Lee Do-yoon, who was hit by Woo Gyu-min’s ball, also sensed the dirt and took it in stride, walking to first base. Then, in the eighth inning, with two outs and no runners on base, Hanwha’s Kang Jae-min threw a sandball directly at Pirela’s face, but immediately removed his hat to apologize and show that it was unintentional. Pirela accepted the apology with a thumbs up. It could have been an instant confrontation, but neither player crossed the line.안전놀이터
Meanwhile, Lee explained his bat flip, saying, “I don’t do it because I want to. When I was younger, I was a fast runner, but after I hit, I became a fast runner (to first base), so I would let go of the bat. When it works, it (the bat flip) happens. You don’t want to do it, but it comes naturally,” he said. “I don’t even remember how I did the home run ceremony. I was so happy, it was my first walk-off home run, and I was crazy. I’m going to watch a lot of home run videos.”