For Sohn Ho-young, a Lotte Giants infielder, this season has become an unforgettable year. Aug. 3, 2024, became an even more unforgettable day.안전놀이터
Son Ho-young started the game against the LG Twins at Munsu Stadium in Ulsan on the 3rd and led his team to an 8-3 complete victory by swinging two hits (two home runs) and four RBIs in four at-bats.
Son entered the batter’s box in the first inning with two outs and runners on the first and second bases. With one ball, he rolled up his second 130-km changeup to hit a three-run homer to left. It was Son’s 10th homer for this season.
The game was neck-and-neck with each other, and he faced his fourth batter’s box in the bottom of the eighth inning with his team leading 4-3. With no runners on with one out, he hit a 146 km fastball on the first pitch by left-handed Lim Joon-hyung, and hit a solo shot to left. He hit his 11th homer and his first multi-homer game.
Son Ho-young had two memorial balls on the day. It was an unforgettable day, but he was more calm than I thought. “I thought, ‘I was also a person who could hit double-digit and multi-homer games. It was more special because I had never imagined it before.”
When the first homer came out in the first inning, he said, “I just thought about focusing more on the game. Since there are so many games left, I thought not to reveal my feelings too much and I thought about focusing until the end.”
He hit his ninth homer in the match against Incheon SSG on April 31, so he was conscious of his 10th homer. “I was conscious of double-digit homers and was happy. However, I was only happy inside and tried not to show it because the game was not over.”
As for the second home run, he said, “I was more happy to have a home run at a time when I had to give up one more run. And I was very happy because I hit multiple home runs.”
March 31 marked a complete change in Son’s life and fortune. He changed his uniform to Lotte after leaving LG, which he joined in 2020. Lotte needed Son to strengthen its offense power. He gave up his young sidearm Woo Kang-hoon (22), who is throwing fast balls over 150 kilometers away, and brought in Son.
It was an opportunity for Son Ho-young, who was desperate for Lotte and failed to get a chance at LG, to not come back. And Son’s life in baseball has completely changed. Son’s performance this season is career-high, with a batting average of 318 (68 hits in 214 times at bat) and 11 homers and 48 RBIs in 58 games. All records are career-high.
Of course, Son was out of the lineup twice this year due to his hamstring injury. Still, concerns remain over his injury. As it is his first time to play in so many games, he is learning how to take care of his body. “I search a lot and ask a lot of questions to my trainer coaches. They are so good in the training part. They are so good that I feel like they are too good to me. So I think I can finish the race until the end of this season,” Son said.
“I try to drink a lot of water because my muscles shouldn’t be dry, but I don’t want to stretch too much, so I do it in moderation,” he said. “I’m learning how to take care of my body as I get hurt. Still, I’m running to buy my body more than when I first came here,” he said with an awkward smile.
We should also be grateful to coach Kim Tae-hyung for bringing him back and giving him chances. He is no different from what coach Kim Tae-hyung made in the end. “It’s important to play a lot of games. Before that, I was worried that I might not be able to participate, but now I can forget about it because I have tomorrow even if I don’t do it today,” he said. “I feel like I’m always grateful to him.”
Soon after the trade, Son once said, “I want to play in 100 games.” Son has played 58 games now, and his team has 44 games to go. If he plays in all the remaining games, he can achieve his goal of playing in 100 games.
“I’m trying hard to forget about the heat wave, and I want to run more,” Son said. “This is such a great opportunity. Now is not the time to say that I’m tired because of the hot weather. I haven’t run much enough yet. I want to run more. It’s not a full-time season this year, but I think we can learn more if we play full-time. I still think I can play 100 games.”