I kept swinging when it went off for a second. So my body was hot.”
Hanwha Eagles won 3-2 in the bottom of the ninth inning against the NC Dinos in the “2024 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League” at Cheongju Baseball Stadium on the 20th. Peraza hit a home run in the bottom of the ninth inning as the leadoff hitter. Peraza, who started as the first designated hitter, hit a home run in three consecutive games since the SSG Landers on the 17th. Hanwha has won all three of these games, winning four consecutive games. It is approaching its goal of fall baseball, with a gap of only 1.5 games from fifth-place SSG.메이저놀이터
After hitting left field in the fourth inning, Peraza had multiple hits with a home run in the ninth inning. Though it might not have been easy for her to maintain her physical condition due to delays of 30 minutes in the first inning and suspension of 24 minutes in the top of the ninth inning, Peraza showed her presence at a critical moment. Peraza said she continued to make efforts to heat up her body even during the suspension of rain.
When asked why he was able to hit the walk-off home run, Peraza said, “I practiced swing in the background when it was suspended in rain for a while in the ninth inning. That’s why I felt so hot. I prepared so that I could show good performance, and I think I was able to hit the home run because I had a good opportunity.”
However, he said he did not swing for the homerun in the ninth inning. “I was not conscious of hitting long balls. You can’t just do what you want because you’re conscious of that. I didn’t think about hitting a homer, but just wanted to do my best at bat,” Peraza said.
With the homer, Hanwha is now in seventh place, threatening its fifth position. The team is only 0.5 game behind the sixth-ranked Lotte Giants. “I don’t look at the rankings. I don’t even know how to look for them,” Peraza said with a smile.
Still, to say that the team’s pursuit of fifth place is on fire, he said, “I feel great. Below the ranking table, I was ranked 10th to 9th, and then gradually rose. I’m grateful to my teammates for staying. I’m satisfied because I keep showing good performance. Pitchers and fielders are all doing well. That’s why I think we’re on the rise.”
After displaying his worst game with five strikeouts from five times at bat at the game against LG Electronics on Saturday, he showed no signs of rebounding. Peraza has only posted a batting average of 0.228 in 10 recent games, but in the recent three games with homers, he has posted five hits from 13 times at bat and three homers, displaying robust hitting performance. Among the five hits, he has only one hit.
Peraza cited confidence as the reason for his rebound. “I think you need confidence to hit well when you are in the batter’s box. I think you are getting better little by little from that point. Confidence is the most important thing,” he said of his homers in the last three consecutive games.