He is impeccable. His skills and posture are perfect. He is not obsessed with success and is not intimidated by failure. He always tries to maintain calmness to produce results. This is the story of Austin Dean (31), who is challenging LG’s new history.스포츠토토
This has been resolved again. Austin hit a two-run double to lead his team to victory in the bottom of the eighth inning against the Jamsil SSG on Tuesday. LG came from behind to beat LG 2-3 in the top of the eighth inning, but Austin again led LG with runners on the second and third bases with no outs in the bottom of the eighth inning. Noh Kyung-eun, who ranks first in holds, hit an outer slider. He is ranking first in RBIs in four times at bat on the day, with two hits and two RBIs in this season.
LG won the game with Austin’s finishing stroke, but now has escaped three consecutive losses. It had 61 wins, 52 losses and two draws in total for the season. It maintained a 1.5-game gap with second-ranked Samsung. The following is a postgame interview with Austin.
-Tell me from the moment you hit the winning shot with a two-run double in the bottom of the eighth inning.
At first, they were on the first and third bases. I just saw the cutter on the outside of the first pitch, and Shin Min-jae stole second base. So I tried to fly far and hit an RBI single. My goal was to score an RBI single so that I could go at least extra time. But the result came out better than I thought.
-Didn’t Shin Min-jae think of two RBIs when he stole second base?
I didn’t. I thought of an RBI sacrifice fly unconditionally. If you think of two RBIs, it can be poisonous. There is a high probability that if you overdo it, you will get worse results. I always simply aim for the least profit in situations like this. If you do that, you can get better results like this.
-He seemed to have a very good batting performance in three consecutive games last week. Then, he suffered in three consecutive games during the KIA weekend. How did he manage to pull himself together?
In fact, the team’s batting performance has been good all week. It was just that the results came out well in the game against Hanwha, and unfortunately, the results didn’t come out when facing KIA. I just try to think that KIA did better than us. Of course, it is very regrettable. Still, it is a past event. I have to focus again from this series.” I will prepare well, focusing only on the upcoming games without thinking about last weekend.
Honestly, I still haven’t given up on No. 1. Obviously it’s not impossible. Of course you have to have a lot of luck.
-Last year, he received the Golden Glove as a first baseman for the first time in 29 years as an LG player. This year, he will become the first LG player to receive an RBI title. What do you think about this?
As I always said, “I don’t care about personal records. The moment you care about records, you can fall into a slump. So, I don’t care about the title at all at this point in time. I just want to contribute to the team. Looking back from the beginning of the season, batters in front of me, including Hong Chang-ki, Park Hae-min, Kim Hyun-soo, and Shin Min-jae, enabled me to post so many RBIs. I am grateful to my teammates. I am just focusing on what I have to do as a cleanup hitter or as a third hitter. I have never thought about a record.
-If he were the RBI king, would he want to come to the ceremony? He asked a similar question last year. When asked if he would like to come to the ceremony if he received the Golden Glove at first base, he said he had to go home quickly. In fact, he received the Golden Glove after finishing this year’s camp in Korea.
I have plans to come to the awards ceremony this time. I will think about it if I receive it. There are some parts I don’t want to make time for. If I find an awards ceremony, I think I will come alone. But time with my son in the offseason is really precious. It is also my honest heart that I feel sorry to be separated from my son.
-The weather is really hard to play baseball. How does it compare to last summer and this summer?
It’s seriously hot. As a native of Texas, the U.S., I’m confident in overcoming the hot weather, but this year’s summer in Korea is seriously hot. It’s too humid.
But I don’t want to complain. I really enjoy playing baseball in Korea. I really like Korean baseball. The speciality of the KBO League. I really like all of our teammates, coaching staff, and fans. Isn’t hot weather a memory after all? I believe it will become a part of memories in the future.
-Is the summer in Korea hotter than the summer in Texas this year?
I was born in Texas, but it’s been about 13 years since I left Texas. Looking back on the past, I think Korea is hotter. The last time I spent summer in Texas was for a while in 2020. Compared to then, Korea is hotter.
-The batting pace is really good even though it’s this hot. What’s the secret?
I’m trying to act professionally. I’ve seen great players while playing baseball for quite a while. I’ve learned how to control their condition. I’ve watched and learned how to do my best in every game. I’ve been following that. I think this is what a professional looks like.
-Can you tell me what kind of players they are?
They are Yardier Molina, Martin Prado and Paul Goldschmidt. Molina and Goldschmidt were together during the St. Louis Cardinals. Molina was next to me in the locker room, and she was my spiritual support. Prado was a teammate in Miami. He helped me become a more mature baseball player. They tried to learn the mindset of baseball, and they keep following me.