The Hanwha Eagles have revived their nightly specialty.
It’s something we haven’t seen since Choi Won-ho took over as acting manager and Carlos Suvero took over as head coach. After four years, it’s back.
Hanwha snapped a three-game losing streak with a 9-5 win over KIA on April 23. The bats exploded in the first inning. It was the moment we’ve been waiting for. They scored six runs on four hits and three walks and capitalized on an error to take an early lead, adding one in the fourth and two in the fifth.
But the stadium staff didn’t go home after the game. Betting gauges were set up and boxes of training balls were set out.
Yes, for special batting practice. Catcher Park Sang-un, infielder Park Jung-hyun, and outfielders Lee Won-seok and Kwon Kwang-min took the field with bats in their uniforms.
Hitting coaches Jung Hyun-seok and Kim Nam-hyung also came out to help the players train. Manager Choi Won-ho also watched the training.
Usually, special batting practice is held when the batting slump is prolonged. But on this day, the batting lineup exploded as soon as the game started.
You can see that this season. The team hasn’t been hitting well. The team is 10th in the league in batting average (.223), RBIs (140), OPS (.621), and runs scored (148).
The younger players who aren’t starting aren’t getting enough practice. At home, at most, they get 20-25 pitches a day before a game. On the road, it’s 15-20.
It’s not easy for young players to improve with that much. 스포츠토토
Coach Choi Won-ho says, “The younger players, who are not starting, don’t have enough training. At home, at most, we play 20 to 25 games a day before the game. It’s not easy for young players to bring improvements with them,” he said, explaining the reasoning behind the specialization.
“I’ve been doing it in the Futures, and I wanted to do it after I became coach, but it’s hard to make changes right away. I wanted to try it from now on.”
The players who participate in the special teams are either bench players or young players, as Choi said.
“The players who didn’t start don’t need to use up any physical energy. They are obligated to play,” he said.
He also aims for a virtuous cycle. “If you create an environment like this, players who don’t feel good hitting will naturally do it. There are also players who wanted to do it but couldn’t,” Choi said. Those players can come out and do it.”
The special program is also available for away games. For away games, training time is not freely available, so all the time is devoted to the players who started, and the players who need to hit extra balls will train at a nearby high school field.
“There will only be about three players like this,” Choi said. There are Moon Hyun-bin, Park Sang-un, and others. Since there are two hitting coaches, one will be attached to the specialty training side,” Choi said.
The rebound in Han’s batting didn’t last long as he announced his return to special training. The only consolation was that Noh Si-hwan broke his 44-game hitless streak in the bottom of the ninth inning. Three players, Lee Won-seok, Park Sang-un, and Kwon Kwang-min, swung the bats hard on this day.