His first Golden Glove was within reach. But a moment of over-motivation ruined everything.
Park Chan-ho of the KIA Tigers is having the best season of his career since his debut in 2014.
It’s been four seasons since he’s been the starting shortstop for the Kia Tigers. This year, he’s faced stiff competition in the form of Kim Do-young, who is improving every day.토토사이트
However, the manager’s trust was placed in Park Chan-ho, who has a proven sense of stability. It was also a way to mentally manage the younger Kim Do-young. Kim focused more on hitting at third base.
But now there is no alternative. Kim Do-young will take on both the leadoff and starting shortstop duties. Park Chan-ho suffered ligament damage to his fourth finger on a head-first slide at first base.
Kia manager Kim Jong-kook is filled with regret. “It is difficult for Park Chan-ho to start for about three weeks,” he said on the 13th at Kia Champions Field in Gwangju. “Now that there is video replay, I always emphasize that he shouldn’t slide head-first to first base. It’s a taboo even in the major leagues. He probably did it without realizing it because he was in a hurry, but I’ve seen a lot of players get seriously injured as a result.”
The day before, against the Daegu Samsung Lions. It was a deep grounder to the shortstop, but Samsung shortstop Lee Jae-hyun’s steady catch and strong throw stood out.
I was in a hurry. He threw himself at first base in a motion that was more like a fall than a slide. The result was an out. To add insult to injury.
The hospital said he was out for three weeks. However, KIA decided not to remove Park Chan-ho from the first team roster. He will continue to play defense and pinch-hit if needed. He will participate in pogo and running drills as normal, except for batting. As for hitting, the team will proceed with a gradual rehabilitation process, including tee-batting, as soon as he recovers from his injury.
Park Chan-ho was this year’s Golden Glove winner at shortstop. In his 10th year, he had his first triple-double (3-for-2). In addition to his batting average, he set career highs in several offensive categories, including RBIs and OPS (on-base percentage + slugging percentage). He also stole 29 bases, trailing only LG’s Shin Min-jae (32). He was also within striking distance of becoming the third all-time stolen base champion.
He was also the only shortstop to lead the league in Wins Above Replacement (WAR). He has a WAR of 3.47 (3.32 for Oh and 2.74 for Park) and 3.36 (3.24 for Oh and 2.86 for Park) on Statiz. It was a season where he literally came into his own after being underestimated.
However, they faced an unexpected obstacle. Park Chan-ho was sidelined with an injury, while Park Sung-ho was called up to the national team on Aug. 23 to compete in the Hangzhou Asian Games.
But last year’s Golden Glove winner, Oh Ji-hwan, is still playing in the league. Although his power has plummeted from last season, he is still good enough for a Golden Glove. There’s also the premium of being the first-place shortstop. So far this season, he’s fallen short of Chan Ho Park, but that could change depending on how he impacts the rest of the month.